


Metamorphosis

by KlonoaDreams



Category: Naruto
Genre: Aro/Ace Character, Aromantic Character, Asexual Character, Asthmatic Main Character, Awkwardness, Bonding, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Domestic Fluff, Drama, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Family Feels, Father-Daughter Relationship, Feels, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gen, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Multiple, Self-Insert, Single Parents, Young Kakashi learning the ways of friendship, Young Obito saying things he immediately regrets, Young Rin helping people make friends, eventual polyamory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-20
Updated: 2016-02-11
Packaged: 2018-04-05 08:51:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 67,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4173600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KlonoaDreams/pseuds/KlonoaDreams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's quite sad to say there are definitely worse things than being covered in bugs, as one victim of circumstance finds out the hard way after being reborn into a fictional world. Of course, fictional, for Aburame Shiki, has now become factual. SI OC</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Circumstance

**Author's Note:**

> Guess what finally happened everyone! I caught up to Naruto, hell yeah! And in case anyone needed to know, the reason I haven't updated Butterfly Child is because I was catching up to Naruto and just like with One Piece, you guys can totally have another SI OC Naruto fic from me!
> 
> This time, I'm taking on the Aburame clan! Woo-hoo! But before that, let's start up the usual disclaimer and get that out of the way.
> 
> Disclaimer for whole story: I don't own Naruto or anything related to the Naruto franchise! I am in no ways Masashi Kishimoto, nor will I ever be! I only own my OCs, of which I have many—so do keep that in mind.
> 
> I am just a tired, weary college student who has just gotten out for the summer. Please do not sue me—I have nothing worth offering. Anyways, more information will be given in the ending A/N, so read on, my fellow readers!

…

…

Aburame Shinjiro was someone who never held interest in romance or sex. It was something his clan never questioned him. His friends, however, did and when it came to their attention that Shinjiro had been promoted to Jounin at the age of seventeen, a celebration was to be held.

Shinjiro was by no means the first in his graduating class to reach Jounin, but he was the first on his team. Uzuki Tsukiya and Gekkō Shō had a plan in motion when they suggested what they felt was an appropriate celebration for their dear teammate, Shinjiro. To Tsukiya and Shō, appropriate to them was dragging their friend to the most popular brothel in the Red Light District.

The entire experience left Shinjiro waking up the next morning with a massive hangover, a sense of apathy in regards to his lost virginity despite his friends' congratulations, and adequate evidence in proving his disinterest in sex, which his friends have been questioning over the years. Overall, Shinjiro didn't really associate the event as anything significant and just let the memory fade like colored cloth in the sun.

It was safe to assume that he had nearly forgotten about his evening with a high-ranking courtesan until one late winter night, on the eve of the New Year, when his fling from the past left him with an infant in his arms.

…

…

* * *

Monaka had been quite content with the prospect of being a mother. She had watched over the kamuro and aided the hikkomi with their training. That had once been her before she became an oiran after years of hard training. She had been admired—loved, even. It was a good life, certainly better than the one she had lived before her parents had sold her to a brothel.

It was her past life alone that had gave her an optimistic look on becoming a mother to the child she was carrying. She had no idea who the father was, but she could care less.

Then it came to her attention, an hour after giving birth, that her child was of shinobi heritage, as denoted by the developed chakra coils the child possessed. It was all explained to her by the medic-nin who tended to her. Monaka abhorred shinobi—she barely even tolerated medic-nin. And now this child that she had given birth to—one that she was willing to shower with love—was one of  _them_ …or will be, with the appropriate training.

Monaka had been planning on leaving the brothel she worked at for the sake of her child. Now…Monaka was having second thoughts. Was it worth it to give up everything she worked for just to care for this child?

Monaka thought long and hard about it before asking the medic-nin if it was possible to figure out the child's father. It was…with that new piece of information in mind, Monaka handed the medic-nin the infant before completely averting her gaze.

When asked by the medic-nin if something was wrong, Monaka simply said, "I don't want it."

" _Maybe next time,"_  Monaka thought to herself as the medic-nin walked out of the hospital room.

* * *

…

…

Shinjiro had been initially shocked at the discovery that he was a father. Then he felt pity for his (his?) child, who was never planned to be, but came to be due to circumstances. His own mother at least wanted him and his younger brother…

Minutes passed and soon, Shinjiro felt something swell within his chest when a tiny hand latched onto his index finger. Slowly, a pair of yellow eyes opened up, blinking a few times as Shinjiro continued to stare.

" _I made this…"_  the thought found its way into Shinjiro's mind. "I made this…"

He said it out loud that time, realizing what he was feeling was pride. Unlike the mother of his child, Shinjiro wanted this child—this little girl with yellow eyes and black hair. And when his daughter started crying (out of hunger, most likely), Shinjiro held the infant closely to his chest and started murmuring comforting words to her.

"There, there, Shiki…Otou-san is here." Shinjiro smiled tenderly at his recently named daughter, who had been nameless up until this very moment. The circumstances involving his daughter still saddened him…but Shinjiro wasn't going to let that get in the way of his parenting.

Shinjiro didn't do romance…but he could still love.

* * *

…

…

Shiki…that's what he called her. To be honest, Shiki, as she was now apparently named, was confused… _extremely_  confused. The last few hours have been one mind-boggling mess after another, if also a bit traumatizing—coming out of that woman was  _not_  fun. Speaking of that woman…where was she?

That woman had been so loving to her, when she was crying out of a mixture of fear, confusion, and instinct. She felt fear, out of the fact that everything had once been pure, warm darkness before changing into cold brightness. Confusion followed right after it upon realizing her current infant form. Everything else after that was pure instinct that only a newborn baby could have…that included the breastfeeding.

That woman was beautiful—or at least Shiki thought she looked beautiful. The vision of a newborn was not too good, so Shiki was unable to fully appreciate the beauty of the woman who had been singing to her, as she usually would have, were she not a newborn. Still, she was awestruck with what she could see before being lulled to sleep by the woman's gentle singing. That woman had a pretty voice, was what Shiki thought before falling asleep, feeling safe and warm.

That was all she remembered before waking up to find herself in the arms of someone she could distinctively tell was not of that woman's. She could tell he was staring at her, even though the sunglasses he wore masked his eyes. She, too, was also staring…and holding onto his finger—wow, her hand was tiny…

…

" _No duh, you're a baby…"_  she thought before an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach started bothering her. It was subtle, at first, but it quickly became irritable up to the point that she started crying.

It was during that moment when that man started talking softly in a language Shiki couldn't understand completely, only pulling out small bits of what he had said. This man…was her father. And it was only until he had started calling her Shiki that Shiki, herself, realized that woman never called her by anything.

" _Where am I anyways?"_  That was a question that Shiki wanted to know, but would prefer to eat first because her rumbling stomach was irritating her.

…

The next time Shiki woke up, having fallen asleep after being fed, she was fully aware of her situation…and it still baffled her. One day, she was just a typical college girl struggling to make it through the school year with some remaining money and good grades, the next…she found herself in pitch-black darkness. It was…pretty scary, but there was always a comforting voice there to talk to her. Sometimes, she heard music and singing.

Now, all she could hear was the soft breathing that came from the person sleeping right next to her—her father. He had been nothing but caring toward her since she had woken up and started crying. It certainly helped ease the idea that she had somehow been reborn and given a second chance at life. How the crap that even happened, she had no idea, which is why it baffled her—because in order for one to have a second chance, that meant something had to have happened for her to have garnered a new life.

Shiki wasn't complaining, though. She was, however, sad about the loss of her past life. But the way her father held her in his sleep made her safe and sound…

" _Best not to look a gift horse in the mouth…"_  Shiki thought as she slowly drifted back to sleep, not paying much attention to the prickly sensation in her limbs.

…

The next day brought Shiki into meeting a huge multitude of people who passed her around as they took the time to get acquainted with their new family member. Her father, Shinjiro, as she eventually gathered by the mostly incomprehensible babble she heard coming from people's mouths. Eventually, after all that was said and done, Shiki found herself back within her father's arms.

It had been pretty exhausting for Shiki, despite having done nothing at all. She pegged it down as a baby thing and called it a day when her father started feeding her again. So far, the baby life was good (minus the diaper part—not fun). It was still better than college.

Though, she still wondered where that lady, her mother, was. Why wasn't she here? Shiki didn't know. She also didn't know why her body felt so prickly. It wasn't uncomfortable, just—discerning at times. It certainly brought her back into reality when her mind began to wander.

…

…

* * *

When Shinjiro introduced Shiki to his teammates a few days later, they didn't know whether to be surprised at the fact that Shinjiro actually  _had_  a child or the fact that he said, "I made this."

And he looked so damn proud, too.

"We can see that very clearly," Shō said, his eyes quite wide with shock.

Tsukiya was looking over Shiki for any similarities. "She definitely has her mother's eyes…everything else about her is all you."

"Speaking of her mother—where is she?" Shō had noticed the oiran Shinjiro had bedded nine months ago was absent. He had his speculations, but he wanted to hear it from Shinjiro.

Shinjiro held Shiki closely to his chest as he bluntly replied, "She did not want Shiki."

…

"I guess it's a good thing that she takes mostly after you, then…" Tsukiya remarked after a minute of completely awkward silence.

"I am sorry…" Shō bowed apologetically to Shinjiro. "I didn't mean to bring up such a…I'll shut up."

Shinjiro shook his head. "It is fine…Shiki has me."

"I thought you didn't do love?" Tsukiya scratched the back of his head.

"I said I did not do romance—I never said anything about love…parental love." Shinjiro sure held a lot of it toward his daughter, who was currently sucking on her thumb.

"We never expected you to have a child," Shō pointed out.

"At least he's not like Yūhi-san." Tsukiya let out a puff of air. "I hear his daughter, Kurenai, is turning one, this year."

"Still trying to process that Shinjiro is a father…" Shō  _still_  couldn't believe it—even though the evidence was right  _there_  in front of his face. "You are seriously the last person I would ever expect to be a father."

"Who decided that it was appropriate to celebrate my Jounin promotion by going to a brothel?" Shinjiro eyed his teammates suspiciously.

"Yeah, you got us there…" Tsukiya sighed. "Sorry about that, by the way…we should have just listened to you and let you be."

"Ditto—I hope we weren't too pushy on you…" Shō looked rather awkward.

"I accept your apologies, but I do not mind, though…I got Shiki out of this." Shinjiro took the moment to smile tenderly at Shiki, who cooed back at him in response. "And I am very grateful for that, so thank you very much, by the way…I appreciate it, even if the circumstances were not exactly the best…"

"What are you going to tell her when she's old enough to ask?" Shō asked, taking a moment to look at Shiki, who was so blissfully unaware of the circumstances involving her birth.

"I might have to lie…" Shinjiro sighed. "I doubt I will be able to, though…"

"Shiki-chan  _is_  the bastard child of an oiran…" Tsukiya mused. "Gossip spreads like wildfire here…"

"What will you do?" Shō was growing concerned for his teammate.

"I will do everything to ensure that Shiki grows up without problem…" Happiness was essential for his daughter, Shinjiro thought to himself. "The Aburame clan does not discriminate based on heritage or background. Family is family…that is all that matters."

"Shiki is really lucky to have you for a father." Shō patted Shinjiro on the back. "So…how is she doing with the, you know…"

Shinjiro stared at Shō for a minute before nodded his head. "We are still observing her for any negative reactions to the kikaichū introduced to her body. Usually, members of the Aburame clan are introduced to kikaichū at birth. Shiki…is the exception."

"I still can't get over the fact you're covered in bugs—how does it even feel?" Tsukiya looked questioningly at Shinjiro. It was a question he had asked countless times, despite knowing the answer. Shinjiro suspected that Tsukiya was just checking to see if he was keeping any more information to himself—which wasn't too far off from the truth.

Shinjiro liked his privacy, as did most of members of his clan. If he wished to be open, then would be when he felt most comfortable.

"It is a sensation one grows accustomed to over the years," Shinjiro explained for the umpteenth time. "Though I would be lying if I said it did not bother me for the first two to three years of my life…"

Shinjiro hoped that wouldn't be the case for his daughter. She deserved to have a better experience than him—one that she could actually  _talk_  about and not be so ambiguous, as Shinjiro had been.

"Is that why Shiki looks about ready to cry?" Shō suddenly said, nearly seconds away from losing his composure.

As if on cue, Shiki started wailing at the top of her lungs. Shinjiro sighed and tried to calm his daughter, while Tsukiya and Shō tried to stomach the idea that their usually reserved and intimidating, if handsome, looking teammate was capable of acting like a completely different person toward his daughter. It was surreal—but oddly endearing.

"I don't think I'll ever be ready for parenthood…" Tsukiya murmured as he watched the scene before him.

"Same…" Shō agreed.

…

…

* * *

Shiki might have had a crappy grasp of Japanese, but even at her current age of not even a week old, she was able to at least hear a couple of terms that she recognized. At first, she thought it was a coincidence to hear the names Yūhi and Kurenai. Maybe her father and his friends were fans of the series,  _Naruto_. It sure explained the forehead protectors, or hitai-ate…

Then the word, "Jounin" was thrown around and Shiki started to grow a little concerned. And when Shiki managed to make out the term, "oiran", her concern ceased momentarily as her attention shifted over to past knowledge she had revolving around the term. Her name and that term had been used in the same sentence…

" _Why the hell—oh…_ _ **oh**_ _…"_  It took Shiki a moment to put two and two together…her mother was an oiran—a courtesan. That  _had_  to explain why her mother's presence was absent. Of course, there could be other reasons, but Shiki wished to be a little optimistic about her situation, if only because she was still fucking confused as to  _why_  she was a baby.

Then her father said something about the Aburame, and that's when Shiki felt her blood turn cold. The prickling sensation in her body returned and when Shiki heard her father mention the term, "kikaichū", everything started to connect quite so easily that it was horrifying.

There was absolutely  _no_  fucking way that it was all just a coincidence. Shiki had been many things in her past life. Slow, she most definitely was, but when she connected the dots, she  **connected** the fucking dots.

The sunglasses her father and relatives all wore. The hitai-ate her father and his friends wore—hell, if her crappy memory served her well, she recalled some of her relatives were wearing hitai-ate as well. And then there was the prickling sensation Shiki felt on a daily basis. Something was completely off about her—Shiki was already starting to suspect a few days into her new life.

And now, she  _definitely_  knew something was wrong with her. At this very moment, with each breath she took, Shiki had thousands of tiny  _insects_   **crawling**  inside and outside of her body.  _That_ was what caused the prickling sensation.

Kikaichū, a species of small, beetle-like insects that are bred and utilized exclusively by the Aburame clan—a clan that was known to offer their  _newborn_  children to kikaichū, allowing the insects to nest and breed within them, thus creating a life of symbiosis between symbiont and host. It was a clan that was  _supposed_  to have been fictional, and yet, here Shiki was, possessing enough evidence to confirm that fictional was actually factual.

She was a living, breathing example of an Aburame who had recently gone through the process of becoming a host for a species of insects that fed on her chakra—that was  _also_  supposed to be fictional, but wasn't because Shiki wasn't in a position to say what was fictional and what wasn't. Not since the exact moment that she realized she was reborn into the world of  _Naruto_.

Crying was Shiki's immediate reaction. It was all she could do, because her vocal chords weren't exactly developed to allow her to curse up a storm and her brain didn't have the capacity to handle the wave of emotions that she was currently experiencing.

Shiki didn't cry too long, as a result of her father being quite the soothing presence for someone of his intimidating appearance. Sleep soon overtook her after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can totally see, I'm discarding the first-person POV for this fic, since I want to try something new with Shiki. Unlike Chōko, Shiki has finished reading Naruto and has actually started reading Naruto Gaiden, so she is the most informed out of all my current SI OCs, since the One Piece SI OC kinda died on a cliffhanger and One Piece is set to go on for another nine years, so yeah…
> 
> For now, I'm giving you an ambiguous view on when exactly Shiki was born in the timeline, but do keep this story's summary, as well as the characters' names mentioned as of yet, in mind as it does hint to it in regards to how screwed Shiki is. In any case, to reflect the amount of knowledge she has, shifting perspectives will be a thing to give more insight instead of a limited view. And, to be honest, it fits the character of the clan Shiki has been born into, which is the Aburame clan. Now like the Akimichi clan, the Aburame clan barely gets any love, so I'm going to do my best to give it the attention it needs.
> 
> Unlike Chōko, Shiki won't have anything keeping her from using her clan's techniques, since irony isn't the main focus of this story, as it was with Butterfly Child. It will pop up from time to time, but for the most part, this is gonna be a mixture of direct to indirect changes, as per usual with my SI OCs. I like setting things up at the start and seeing how they develop later.
> 
> By the by, in case anyone needs to know, Shiki means "four seasons" and the thing about her father, Shinjiro, is that he's an aromantic asexual—meaning he does not experience romantic attraction nor sexual attraction. But just because Shinjiro doesn't do romance, doesn't mean he can't love. After all, love doesn't always have to be about romance. I mean, seriously, there are various types of love and relationships and I want everyone to acknowledge that because I'm not gonna be holding back in this fic at all (not that I was holding back or anything, I just haven't had the chance to go into this).
> 
> I am quite open-minded about pairings, as I ship based on chemistry, so do expect various types of pairings to develop throughout the course of the story. I'm stating this here and now, because there will be romance later on in the story, as I do have pairings set in stone from the start, unlike with Butterfly Child, which began with no pairings in mind. Now while I have said this, don't be afraid to support whatever ship comes by, because I'm totally okay with people playing the shipping game, just thought I'd say that.
> 
> Also, in case anyone needs to know, oiran are like geisha, except oiran are the prostitutes who have sex. Geisha don't do that, as, originally, they were just meant to be provide a suitable backdrop to oiran. Because geisha were less expensive than oiran, they eventually replaced oiran as wealthy men's companions. I'd go into it even deeper, but then this A/N would be hella long, so I'll leave you guys with this information.
> 
> So I guess that's about it for now, I mean, this is just the first chapter, but do expect the next one to come up soon, since I've been working on this story for some time now because I had planned to publish it the day I had caught up with Naruto. So yeah, until next time everyone!


	2. Reflection

Days passed, and Shiki was slowly growing accustomed to the insects that inhabited her body. It grossed her out more than it freaked her out, but Shiki was quick to ignore the overall horror of it. They weren't hurting her—and as their host, the kikaichū would provide services in return to ensure that she would stay alive. And god dammit, was she going to need  _everything_  to stay alive…until she figured out where she was on the timeline.

And even then, Shiki  _still_  wasn't going to take her chances… Her last life came to an end all too soon, without her having any knowledge of  _how_  it happened. So given her current situation, Shiki wanted to ensure her current life was a long and prosperous one.

Especially since her clan was so damn loving of her. It was weird, seeing such a stoic and usually reserved clan being so expressive around her. Though, she would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the attention— _especially_  when it came from her father.

Shinjiro spent every waking moment with Shiki, never once showing annoyance in regards to her loud crying or the messes she made in her diapers. Shiki appreciated it all, even though she, herself, in her past life, would have grown annoyed with all the attention she was given.

Life was definitely good.

…

…

Then Shiki met her twelve-year-old uncle, Shibi, who had just returned from a C-ranked mission with his team, and that's when Shiki had a vague idea of  _when_  she was born. It certainly wasn't after the Fourth Shinobi World War, that's for damn sure, so good luck being part of Boruto's generation!

" _Fuck my life…"_  Shiki thought before trying her best to remove Shibi's glasses. She failed spectacularly and ended up grabbing his nose instead.

Shibi was not amused…but Shinjiro was. And Shiki was now aware that, one day, she was going to have Aburame Shino as a cousin. Also, there was a war stirring up in her future (two wars, actually), so her chance of a civilian life just went out the window—oh whom was she kidding, she  _wanted_  to become a kunoichi. Better safe than sorry, even  _had_  she been born after the Fourth Shinobi World War— _especially_  considering that Orochimaru was  _still_  alive and the drama involved with Uchiha Sarada was something out of a soap opera (just add ninjas!).

" _Might as well fuck up the future while I'm here…"_  Shiki had knowledge, and knowledge was power. And if she planned carefully, then she could very well avoid the shitstorm that was the future and lengthen her life span while she was at it.

For now, Shiki was going to enjoy her time as a child and be the annoying niece Shibi never thought he would have—hell, he was  _still_  getting over the fact that his older brother even  _had_  a child.

…

Days turned to weeks, which soon turned to months, and it was at four months old that Aburame Shiki rolled over for the first time. Shinjiro had been watching the entire time and was chuckling when Shiki tried to roll over again.

She managed to do it once, she could do it again, god dammit! Shiki was determined to get through her developmental stages as quickly as possible! Because the sooner she could start walking, the sooner she could start toilet training.

" _I must look ridiculous…"_  It sure explained why her father was chuckling…pfft, the dork.

…

…

* * *

A few days later, Shinjiro woke up one morning to the sound of his daughter's laughter. Her first laugh…and it was toward his disheveled looks in his sleep. It was enough to make Shinjiro laugh, himself. He really did love his daughter…

* * *

…

…

When Shiki finally started crawling, she was sixth months old and causing panic to anyone who hadn't notice her in their way until they nearly bumped into her. Shibi almost tripped on her once and, despite having shown visible annoyance towards her, Shibi nearly had a panic attack  _because_  he had accidentally  **bumped**  into his niece. Shiki just blinked and shook her head, not really understanding why Shibi was worked up—he barely even nudged her.

Then Shinjiro came rushing in, having just woken up, only to find Shiki missing from his side. Shiki looked at her father with the same expression she had given Shibi, as she still had no idea why they were even panicking.

" _It's not as if I'm going to get myself killed…"_  Shiki did consider the fact that Shibi nearly tripped on her and then there was the fact that she kinda sorta did leave her father while he was asleep—yeah, they had justifiable reasons for panicking.

Still, Shiki was starting to notice something was off…and that was that, from the very day she was passed around from relative to relative, she had yet to see any other infants like her. The most she had seen were children and they were already far older than she was by at least seven years. There just wasn't anyone younger than that, but her.

" _I guess that makes me the youngest again…"_   _Again_ , referring to the fact that Shiki had also been the youngest in her family in her past life. Youngest, however, in her extended family, was something that was only exclusive to her life as Aburame Shiki.  _"That explains the overprotectiveness."_

Because the Aburame cherished their clan's children, as Shiki had come to learn. Having been the first infant brought into the family in seven years was enough for everyone to not take her presence for granted. Grandfather Shingen sure loved drop by and visit at least once a day, and Great-Aunt Shikimi made her presence known whenever she wanted to dress Shiki up in some of the baby clothes she made.

Shikimi was a sweetheart and, so far, the only female presence in Shiki's life that was consistent. That was yet another thing Shiki was starting to notice. The majority of her clan consisted of males. Why, Shiki had no idea, but it was certainly a question she was going to ask when she  _knew_  how to ask the question.

For now, Shiki had yet to say her first word and it was pretty damn difficult getting her mouth to form coherent words. All that kept coming out was incomprehensible words that her father seemed to find adorable.

It was only a matter of time before Shiki soon grew tired of crying when she felt hungry and yelled, "Tou-tan!"

The sheer volume of her voice and the fact that the youngest member of the Aburame clan had just spoken her first word brought not only her father toward her, but also some nearby relatives who had heard. So as Shiki was being fed what she believed to be pureed fruit, Shinjiro was dealing with the praise that came from their relatives.

It was shortly right after saying her first word that Shiki began to grasp the language that was spoken around her.

" _Now if only these freaking bugs can stop making me itch…"_  Shiki thought as she scratched at her elbow. Kikaichū were going to be the bane of her existence until their presence within her body finally made itself nonexistent in terms of tangibility.

"What is wrong, Shiki?" Shinjiro crouched down to his daughter's level as she sat on the floor.

Shiki looked at Shinjiro, ceasing her scratching momentarily before continuing. "Buh…"

"I understand that it must be irritable, but do not fret—you will eventually grow accustomed to your kikaichū." Shinjiro smiled as he lifted his daughter off the floor. "Now it is time for your bath…"

And that was Shiki's cue to blank out for the next half hour or so.

…

Shiki had not been looking forward to teething…but teething wasn't as bad as she had expected it to be when she finally reached that stage in her life. Of course, that was mostly because Shiki's kikaichū had had a hand in keeping their host content. While the prickling sensation was something that still bothered her, Shiki was slowly, but surely, growing used to her kikaichū and their presence.

…

…

It was on the day of Shiki's first birthday that little Shiki took her first wobbly steps. Everyone was around to see her and it just so happened that Shingen was in possession of a camera, so when Shiki lost her footing and fell into her father's arms, it was caught on camera. Shiki was starting to wonder how she had yet to lose her sanity with the gratuitous attention her clan was giving her.

" _Still not complaining…"_  Shiki was smart enough not to take things for granted and…it was pretty boring without her clan keeping her entertained.  _"I wonder when I'm gonna start wearing those glasses…"_

…

Since taking her first steps, Shiki made it her mission to practice walking so as to avoid falling down every few steps or so. Shinjiro was never that far behind, not wanting to leave his daughter on her own nor miss out on every little thing she had done.

Thankfully, by the time Shiki had started potty training, she had managed to establish the boundaries she wanted her father to respect, with a little help from her kikaichū. Kikaichū were quite useful whenever Shiki couldn't communicate with her father verbally. What she couldn't do, her kikaichū did, as means of keeping their host happy.

They were also the reason she was learning the language spoken around her so quickly. Now if only her mouth would cooperate with her…

"Umebo!" Shiki tried to repeat the word her father had given her, but failed.

Shinjiro chuckled as he held what looked like a dried plum in between his index finger and thumb. "Umeboshi."

Shiki puffed up her cheeks and tried again. "U-me-bo-shi!"

"Close enough," Shinjiro said before plopping the dried plum into Shiki's mouth. "Umeboshi."

It was shortly after doing this that Shiki quickly realized that it wasn't a dried plum that her father had just given her…it was an umeboshi or, a sour pickled plum. The taste was so sour that Shiki held out her hand in front of her mouth and spit out the umeboshi. She felt betrayed when she heard her father chuckling at her expense.

She was tempted to throw the umeboshi in her hand at him…but then she licked her lips and looked at the umeboshi in the palm of her hand. Curiosity bubbled in her mind and soon got the better of her as she put the umeboshi back in her mouth. It was still as sour as ever—but Shiki liked this flavor.

Slowly, she chewed before swallowing. Afterwards, she held out her hand and exclaimed, "Umeboshi!"

This caught her father off-guard, but surprise quickly turned into delight as he picked off another umeboshi from the plate that had been on the table near by them. He held the umeboshi in between his thumb and index finger and said, "Umeboshi."

"Umeboshi!" Shiki repeated before opening her mouth.

Shinjiro chuckled and placed the umeboshi in Shiki's mouth. He ruffled his daughter's hair afterwards as he watched her face scrunch up as she ate the umeboshi. Her hair was definitely getting longer…

…

As her second birthday neared, Shiki soon found herself standing in front of a mirror. She blinked a few times, tilting her head to the side before placing her hand on the cool glass.

" _This is me…"_  Shiki couldn't help but think as she took in the pale skin that reminded her of a porcelain doll, the black hair that held a lustrous sheen and was soft to the touch, and the pair of yellow eyes that almost seemed to pop…this was Aburame Shiki.

"Enjoying your reflection, I see?" Shinjiro sounded rather amused, as he had been the one who had put Shiki in front of a mirror.

Shiki looked up at her father, who was smiling at her as he looked down at her. She could tell that she had inherited his hair and complexion, but the eyes were something she wasn't too sure. Like many of her relatives, Shiki had never seen her father's eyes. So when her father picked her up at that moment, Shiki took the opportunity to snatch her father's glasses.

Yellow met with a warm, chocolate brown. These eyes of hers were not his eyes…they couldn't be.

"Curious, aren't we?" Shinjiro chuckled as Shiki returned his sunglasses. "If you are worried about your eyes, do not fret—you will soon wear your own pair of glasses like your father."

Shiki didn't know whether she should be happy or not to hear this.

…

…

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, Shibi's age is relevant in regards that he was thirty-nine when he first made his appearance in Naruto (pre-Shippuden) and Kakashi was twenty-six going on twenty-seven. There is a twelve-year age difference between the two, so that's how Shiki knew where she was on the timeline…
> 
> Also, Shinjiro's teammates, Uzuki Tsukiya and Gekkō Shō—they're the fathers to characters Uzuki Yūgao and Gekkō Hayate, both whom have yet to be born (give them five years or so…). Anyways, doing the math to be more specific, Shiki was born literally thirteen years before the events of Kakashi Gaiden, meaning the Third Shinobi World War is in her future, as is the whole situation involving Team Minato's Uchiha Obito, Hatake Kakashi, and Nohara Rin.
> 
> You can totally see what this summary means when there are worse things than being covered in bugs. Of course, there are other things Shiki has to worry about as well, but that's something I will show much later into the story.
> 
> In the meantime, have this interpretation of the Aburame clan. While the Akimichi clan is one big happy family, as Akimichi Chōko has come to know, being so open with their emotions and being more casual out of the Four Noble Clans of Konohagakure, the Aburame clan is an interesting case. While the Aburame clan is one of the most reserved and polite of the four in mannerisms, they are also the most domestic—yes, you read that right.
> 
> The silent and stoic Aburame clan is a family-oriented clan that shows their true colors at home. They will care for whomever they consider part of their family, be it a blood relation, a bastard child, or an adoptee—they don't discriminate. They also quite open-minded, as in the case of Aburame Shinjiro and trust me when I say they go far beyond that.
> 
> Just keep in mind that their domestic behavior is reserved for home and family, because for the most part, Aburame will keep to themselves, which is why they are always so stoic and silent. And if you guys are confused with this interpretation of the Aburame clan, look up what constitutes for a eusocial insect—your biggest example is bees, by the way. The Aburame are quite a lot like eusocial insects in the same way the Inuzuka are to their canine companions. So that is why you have these family-oriented, domestic Aburame who are anything but on the battlefield.
> 
> I'll go more into the Aburame clan as this story progresses, but this is your biggest hint as what to expect from me in regards to the Aburame clan. 
> 
> Anyways, I know it hasn't been long since I posted this story, but I'd rather get this chapter up just for the hell of it. I'll be posting chapter three soon as well, since again, I've been working on this story for some time. After I reach a certain point, updates will be a bit sporadic, since I'm working on a lot of fics, but I am totally accepting the challenge of multi-tasking fics! ^^
> 
> Well, that is it for now, so I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter—I certainly did! So until next time, everyone!


	3. Zensoku

At two years old, Shiki found herself being introduced to a world full of flowers by her Great-Aunt Shikimi. Shinjiro was nearby, arranging freshly cut flowers in a beautiful arrangement within a vase. Shinjiro had many hobbies that contrasted with his rather intimidating appearance—ikebana just so happened to be one.

Ikebana happened to be a rather favorable hobby most Aburame dabbled in, apart from gardening and hanakotoba. For Great-Aunt Shikimi, it was hanakotoba that piqued her interest.

"Shion!" Shikimi held up a purple flower she had finished plucking from a potted plant that was blooming with purple flowers.

Shiki stared at the purple flower for a good minute before nodding her head and exclaiming, "Never forget!"

Shikimi giggled. "You're on the right track, Shiki-san…have a flower so you know you will never be forgotten in this family."

Shiki laughed and clapped her hands as Shikimi placed the purple flower into her black hair. Her black hair just kept getting longer and longer with each passing day.

…

Within two months, Shiki had grasped the concept of hanakotoba and ikebana—the latter of which she found herself doing alongside her father whenever the opportunity popped up. For the most part, Shiki was a gardener who assisted in tending for the indoor garden the Aburame clan maintained inside the compound. Shibi would usually be by her side for this, with Shinjiro watching from afar, to make sure nothing went wrong.

It was during one of these shared moments she had with her uncle that Shiki decided to ask the question she had been wanting to ask.

"What this?" Shiki pointed at her forehead as a way to refer to the hitai-ate Shibi wore on his forehead. Her speaking skills weren't that good just yet, but she was getting there.

Shibi stared at Shiki for a moment before kneeling down to his niece's eye-level. "This is a hitai-ate. It has the symbol of Konohagakure—our home—on it, to show loyalty."

"Loyalty for what?" she asked, even though she knew the answer—she just wanted a source whom she could refer to, should she be questioned.

"Loyalty toward the home we shinobi protect," Shibi continued. "A shinobi is what your father and I are. It is what most of our family consists of."

"Tou-tan shinobi?" It really hurt to act dumb, but Shiki needed this information gain so it didn't seem so out of place for her to know these things.

"A Jounin, actually…he could have become an instructor for Genin like me," Shibi explained. "But then you came along and changed everything."

Shiki made a face at this comment, to which Shibi started chuckling. He ruffled her hair, moving his hand away when she swatted it.

"Do not worry—we do not see you as someone who has gotten in the way of a Jounin's potential." Shibi wanted to make that clear. "We are not like most others who do not see the blessing of a child like you."

Shiki blinked. Had she really been seen as that by others outside of her clan?

"You are loved and wanted—everyone is." A small smile formed on Shibi's lips. "Whatever you will do when you grow older, we will respect your decisions."

"Can I be shinobi like Tou-tan?" Shiki was really waiting for the day when she could finally use proper grammar without sounding so off. For now, she just happy to finally ask her question—she had been waiting for the right opportunity.

Shibi ceased smiling at this. His expression was blank and Shiki really couldn't tell what he was thinking or if he was even looking at her. It was at this moment that Shiki found her father lifting her off the ground.

"Being a shinobi means to put your own life on the line for all those you wish to protect." Shinjiro had sounded so serious, his stoic expression only adding to his tone.

Shiki felt herself frown when she heard this. She started to scratch her arm as she considered her father's words. It wasn't as if he was trying to make her reconsider, but it was more that he was being straight to the point with her.

"I will not have anyone in this family be tricked into something they do not wish to become after all that has been done." And there was the kicker…Shinjiro wanted to make sure it was something Shiki wanted to become of her own volition. "Being a shinobi means having a lot of responsibility. Do you wish to continue, knowing that?"

Shiki, being who she was, nodded her head. "Un!"

"Very well." A small smile formed on Shinjiro's lips. "We will start training come your third birthday. I will inform every one of your decision."

"Would you mind if I helped?" Shibi asked as he stood up.

"I do not mind, otouto." Shinjiro seemed rather pleased to hear from his little brother.

"Shibi-nii!" Shiki found herself clapping her hands like the child she was.

"You have even received Shiki's approval," Shinjiro added. "Now let us go break the news to the clan. I am sure they would wish to learn of this little one's future."

And it was from that point on, Shiki knew her life would never be the same. It sure as hell showed when her relatives started giving her toy sets consisting of rubber kunai and shuriken. Toys that were usually given to children with a future as a shinobi—that is what they were, and Shiki was very well aware of this. As disturbing as it her mind wanted to find this, Shiki put all those thoughts aside and focused on trying to desensitize herself as best as she could.

It was best she do it now, before something else did.

…

…

At three years old, Shiki had finally mastered the art of walking, which had been something worth celebrating amongst her family… Shiki had already come to terms with how weird her family was, but she loved them nonetheless. They made her feel accomplished—confident, even.

Then Shinjiro decided to start Shiki on simple stamina and speed-building exercises, so as to prepare her before teaching her how to use chakra. Said exercises involved running and Shiki hated running, but if it got the job done, it got the job done.

Unfortunately, Shiki came across a bump in the road in her plans. After barely managing to complete two laps across the compound's large backyard (by the way, her first day outside of the compound—whee!), Shiki suddenly stopped running. What should have been an easy task, considering it had only been two laps her father had told her to run, turned out to be a nearly impossible feat for Shiki when a sudden tightness that came from within her chest. Shortness of breath followed soon after, and it was almost as if something was squeezing her lungs, because…

_I can't breathe…_

The coughing wouldn't stop, and tears were streaming down her eyes. Shiki had never been so terrified—her father had never been so terrified. He had also never reacted as fast as he had then by picking Shiki up and using the Shunshin no Jutsu, or Body Flicker technique (as Shiki would later find out) to take them to the hospital within minutes. It was there that her father demanded medical attention as Shiki continued to cough, gasping within intervals as she tried her best to breathe.

_Why can't I breathe?_

It was a horrible experience—one that haunted Shiki long after her little problem had been fixed with the help of machine that had opened up her airways that had narrowed. A mask had been secured to her face and she was told to take slow, deep breaths. It was difficult, at first, but then it became easier to do so.

It was during this time that Shiki overheard the medic-nin talk to her father about a respiratory problem she had… It was zensoku, or asthma, as Shiki had assumed the word to mean through context.

" _You have got to be kidding me…"_  Shiki couldn't believe it. Of all the aspects of her past life that could have followed her through her current life, it just had to be asthma. She had been completely fine with the idea that she still had ADHD—her kikaichū had been helping her stay on task anyways, with their prickling sensation.

Asthma was basically a sign that she should give up on ever becoming a kunoichi. The medic-nin even said so, saying that it would make it extremely difficult for her to make it as far as others could go. It was irritating—talking about her like that, even though she was right there.

And the worse thing was…she couldn't say anything—not until the timer on the machine ran out. Until that happened, all she could do was breathe in and out.

Then her father spoke. "I apologize, but whether or not my daughter has a future as a kunoichi is entirely up to her. Thank you for your input, I shall keep that in mind, but again, the decision is up to Shiki."

And just like that, Shiki had her opening. Even if her asthma would get in the way, even if it did make her life difficult, even if it could potentially get her killed—Shiki would still try to become a kunoichi.

…

Trips to the hospital became somewhat occasional as Shiki persevered through her training. Stretching out has always been a priority to avoid pulling a muscle and running is something that continued, but at a more subdued pace. For the most part, Shinjiro monitored Shiki carefully, making sure to ask every five minutes or so about his daughter's condition.

"Are you fine?" Shinjiro asked as he watched his daughter struggle with her wobbly arms to complete her fifth push-up.

"I'm…fine!" Shiki hated push-ups with a passion, but her father wanted to build up her upper body strength as early as possible.

He said it would do her good in the future and god dammit, she could tell he was right.

"Stop for a moment, and then breathe in and out." Shinjiro knelt down by his daughter's side for this.

Shiki did as she was told and when it came to her attention that she was wheezing, she made a face as her father handed her the inhaler she had been prescribed. A couple of puffs later and Shiki could tell she felt better.

"Thank you, Otou-san…" Gone was the cute, quirkiness that came when she called her father "Tou-tan", as formality had been something that she had latched onto through various interactions with her father and relatives.

"The medic-nin did say that your symptoms should lessen as the season changes," Shinjiro remarked. "Once the cold air is no longer an issue, we shall try again with running."

"But I'm already running…" Shiki was perplexed.

"I mean to imply a slight increase in intensity," Shinjiro explained himself. "For now, slow and steady is the way to go."

"I understand, Otou-san…" Shiki sighed as she handed the inhaler back to her father.

"With time, the exercise should also lessen your symptoms," Shinjiro continued. "Of course, the medic-nin mentioned that your emotional state may be what could trigger your attacks in the future. The life of a shinobi can be especially stressful."

"So cold air and emotions?" Shiki never had to deal with this in her past life…well, not as much as she did now. She was still aware of the times her laughter had induced some coughing attacks that were a pain in the ass to endure— _especially_  since she had a habit of forgetting to bring her emergency inhaler. Shiki almost wondered if that forgetful habit of hers was what done her in and brought her into the world of  _Naruto_  when she was reborn.

If so, that would have made her current condition rather ironic…oh, so cruelly ironic—it sounded so unfair. Shiki really hoped that her forgetful habit wasn't what had killed her. If there was one thing that her lack of memory in regards to her death gave her, it was the benefit of the doubt.

"I am sure your kikaichū will develop a way to overcome the cold air." Shinjiro had also mentioned that what the medic-nin had failed to consider at the time was that Shiki was an Aburame. "Your kikaichū are probably figuring out their way around your condition at the moment."

"Is it normal for them to keep me paying attention when I start drifting off?" Shiki felt the need to ask out of curiosity.

"Oh, are you also experiencing deficits in attention?" Shinjiro sounded as if this wasn't the first time he had come across this question.

"I think?" Shiki still wasn't sure, but she grew up only knowing how it was to have ADHD in her past life. A life without ADHD, for her, was almost unimaginable. Since she had felt the same as ever, Shiki could only assume the ADHD had stuck to her, as the asthma had done. "It's difficult to stay focused sometimes…"

"Ah, so you are like Shikimi-san." Shinjiro nodded his head. "Do not worry, as your kikaichū have already discovered methods of keeping on task. I assume it is only whenever you are needing to pay attention?"

Shiki thought for a moment. The prickling sensation only came whenever someone was talking to her and she was growing distracted with other things. In her previous life, Shiki had a habit she assumed people found annoying in which she asked questions about topics that have  _just_  been covered. As Aburame Shiki, should she forget what had been spoken, her kikaichū helped her fill in the blanks and kept her up to date. It certainly kept her from asking people if they could repeat what they had just said.

"It seems like it…hey, how do our kikaichū talk to us?" It was a question Shiki had been wanting to ask, but kept forgetting to ask.

"Well, you could say the connection between us and them could be considered almost telepathic," Shinjiro began his explanation. "It is indescribable, but it is as though you can tell what they are saying without them actually speaking to you."

"Huh…" Shiki held up her hand in front of her face, where she could see a lone kikaichū crawling on her skin. "How are you today?"

It was just a simple question, but from that question, Shiki had received an answer in the form of a nonverbal, "I am fine."

At least, that's what she felt the kikaichū was telling her.

"Sometimes, it can be difficult to understand what your kikaichū is trying to tell you, so do try to stay as calm as possible," Shinjiro explained. "The calmer you are, the easier it is to understand."

"Huh…" Shiki learned something new today…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look—another chapter! Let's get into the Aburame clan, as I have promised! So yeah, the Aburame have a preference for most hobbies that would be taught in kunoichi classes, like ikebana, hanakotoba, cooking—the list goes on. And just like in Butterfly Child, the Aburame compound is basically built like a greenhouse.
> 
> FYI, whatever world building I have done in Butterfly Child, will carry over to Metamorphosis and vice versa, so these stories are in fact connected. The only difference, however, are the SI OCs involved (only one per story) and the changes that come with them.
> 
> Moving on from there, as anyone who has read Butterfly Child knows, Akimichi Chōko was given glasses to wear because I wanted to work with a glasses-wearing character (she wasn't a planned meganekko). In that same vein, Aburame Shiki has asthma because I want to work with an asthmatic character… Of course, the main difference between the two is that, unlike Chōko and her glasses, Shiki was planned to be an asthmatic and I have asthma (there's no yet, as there is with the glasses).
> 
> How I have not gotten my ass killed because I keep forgetting my emergency inhaler, I have no clue. I mean, I live in the San Joaquin Valley, and let me just say there's a reason the air quality is ranked as one of the worst in the United States.
> 
> So yeah, Shiki's an asthmatic and just in case anyone needs to know, exercising can actually help with that (you just have to be careful about it so you don't accidentally trigger an attack). That's something that'll happen eventually with Shiki, as the shinobi life requires one to be physically fit. However, cold air is the enemy and one of the things I've come to find out, is that emotional states like laughter, crying, anxiety, and stress can induce asthma. I've basically implemented hard-mode on Shiki, since the events in Kakashi Gaiden are by far probably going to be the most stressful ever.
> 
> Now like my other OCs (as well as myself), Shiki has combined hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive ADHD, but…thanks to her kikaichū, she has something helping her stay on task and informed, so unlike Chōko and Mako, Shiki won't have as much trouble learning or listening to people (or asking them to repeat themselves after they have just finished talking). Shiki's impulsivity has also been rather tame, but don't expect it to last once Shiki gets out of her comfort zone.
> 
> And just to clear things up, zensoku is Japanese for asthma…thought I'd at least explain it in case anyone is confused. That aside, this is it for now as this is the last of the chapters I've had written out before finishing Naruto. So again, expect updates to be sporadic since I've got a bunch of fics to work on (yay, multi-tasking attempt!). So until next time, everyone!


	4. Family

Winter soon turned to spring, and the weather became rather warm enough for Shiki not to worry about the cold air screwing up her day. Of course, running was still as difficult as ever, not only because of her asthma, but because she hated running in general. If there was one thing she was proud of, however, it was the fact that she could actually do twenty push-ups.

It took many days, of which Shiki had to endure sore muscles and collapsing onto the ground many times from her arms unable to support her own weight, but she finally did it and her father was nice enough to make sakuramochi to celebrate. This was certainly a huge improvement from what she was capable of in her past life. That is to say, Shiki couldn't do a measly push-up if her life happened to depend on it.

It was the little things that made Shiki smile as she snuggled up to her father's side. To think, she was born into this clan, believing the Aburame to be so reserved and serious, when they were anything but…at least, to their family. To most people, the Aburame clan seemed completely unapproachable. The idea that the Aburame were quite a touch-oriented clan was rather mind-boggling…but Shiki didn't mind.

Shiki loved her family. It made every horror she was going to have to deal with in the future just a little less intense. Living in the moment was what she did to avoid panicking over events that she could either have little to no control. That still didn't mean she wasn't thinking.

Aburame Shiki knew she was going to be the same age as Nohara Rin, Hatake Kakashi, and Uchiha Obito. If she planned things carefully, then maybe—just maybe—she could avoid the tragedy that will occur years from now.

…

…

It was nice having such a supportive family—one that didn't overbear her with expectations, just support. More often than not, Shiki would go along with whatever suggestions a relative mentioned. What's that—tea ceremony practice with Grandfather Shingen? Calligraphy with Cousin Shinobu? Poetry with Great-Uncle Naomi? Sign her the fuck up!

It was never a boring day at the Aburame compound. Shiki was always doing something with her family, besides preparing her body for when she would enter the Academy. Best of all, unlike her past life, spending time with her family didn't exhaust her. There was so much warmth and positivity—Shiki really lucked out…she lucked out so much.

_I want to protect them._

_I want to protect them all._

Those thoughts crossed Shiki's mind as she helped her ten-year-old cousins, Chiaki, Chihiro, and Chitose, make kusamochi. It honestly boggled her mind that these three brothers were all Great-Aunt Shikimi's sons. It wasn't that she was surprised that Shikimi had children, because Shikimi was just someone full of love to share, with a husband that was just as much of a gem as she was. It was more to the fact that Shikimi had  _triplets_.

Chihiro was the shyest, out of the three of them, with Chitose being the most outgoing, usually picking up Shiki whenever she wasn't paying attention and letting her ride on his shoulders as he ran throughout the compound. Chiaki was neither outgoing nor shy…but he was a rather sleepy fellow, usually drifting off to sleep at the most random of times before being promptly woken up by his kikaichū a few minutes later (it depended on the situation).

Shiki liked Chiaki…it was always fun to stuff food into his mouth and watch him wake up a few moments afterwards. He usually patted Shiki on the head and smiled at her as he ate the food she had finished stuffing into his mouth. Chihiro just liked to comb her hair and make her things—just like his mother.

"Your hair is getting really long, Shiki-san." Chihiro sounded rather proud as he continued to gently run the comb through Shiki's long, black locks.

Shiki said nothing as she ate the kusamochi she and her cousins had finished making. Right now, Chitose was playing a harmless prank on Chiaki as he slept, by just braiding flowers into his long hair. So when Shinobu's sixteen-year-old daughter, Kunie, walked into the kitchen to check up on her younger relatives, she burst into a fit of laughter upon seeing Chiaki with so many flowers in his hair.

When Shiki first met Kunie, it was during a moment that the older girl was putting on make-up for no other reason, aside from wanting to look nice. Of course, Shiki had met Kunie earlier than that, but that day was the first time that Shiki actually sat down to talk with her cousin. That was about two months ago. Since that day, Shiki found herself going to Kunie to learn about make-up. Kunie was honestly a sweetheart in letting her own cousin practice on her face.

Kunie, like Shikimi, was one of the few female Aburame that Shiki had come across these past three years. Though, to be more precise, Kunie and Shikimi, as well as Shiki, were of the very few females that were Aburame by blood. One thing Shiki found out about the Aburame clan is that they had a tendency to adopt children into their clan, whether it was to solve an issue involving infertility, or just wishing to add more to the family, as well as giving an orphan a chance at having a family.

It was through Kunie that Shiki learned why there were so few females in the Aburame clan. The reason for it was because of the influence the kikaichū have had on the Aburame clan's genetics, making it so that more males are born than female. Though, a rather positive outcome that came out because of the kikaichū's influence was that the females of the Aburame clan were much deadlier than the males.

Kunie went on and on about how, during the Warring States Period, female Aburame were feared because of their destructive capacities. Kikaichū are much more in sync with their female hosts, connecting them as their "queen" and are much more defensive than the kikaichū found on male hosts. Kunie also brought up a rumor that was going around Konoha that she found hilarious.

That rumor was that, supposedly, the females of the Aburame clan ate males during the honeymoon. Just even mentioning that made Kunie laugh, while Shiki just blinked a few times, resisting the urge to smile as she asked, "What's a honeymoon?"

And that quickly prompted Kunie to change the subject. Sometimes, Shiki liked knowing more information than a child should know, as she was, mentally, an adult (albeit, not a mature one).

…

Shiki decided to bring up the information she had learned from Kunie around her father during one of their training sessions, a few months after learning all of that. Shinjiro seemed a bit surprised that his daughter knew such information, but quickly understood once Shiki mentioned Kunie's name. Since Kunie had taught Shiki what Shinjiro had been meaning to teach her, once she had asked, Shinjiro decided to move onto a different topic. The topic was that Shiki now had a responsibility once she entered the Academy. It was a responsibility that all Aburame shared.

"You will have to try and control your kikaichū, as they will try to do their best to protect you, their host, when they see fit," Shinjiro began. "In battle, this can be used to your advantage…but in a setting where there are civilians, this poses a threat to their safety. That threat only worsens around children, no matter what background they come from, as you are aware that kikaichū feed on chakra, right?"

Shiki stared at her father for a good two minutes, allowing her kikaichū to relay the information he had just given her. Once those two minutes were up, Shiki nodded her head in comprehension.

"Some of the signs that your kikaichū are ready to strike are when their presence becomes extremely tangible," Shinjiro continued. "An example of such is that prickling experience you feel now and whenever you start to drift off when your attention wavers—but much more intense."

Shiki made a face at this. She couldn't even begin to imagine what Shinjiro meant by more intense than the current experience she had with her kikaichū now. At least she was now aware whenever she needed to keep her kikaichū in check…but how was she to do that?

"Otou-san, how do I do that?" Shiki wanted to know.

"You need to use your chakra as a distraction for your kikaichū, and then use that opening to command them to stop." As Shinjiro explained, he held out his hand, which had lit up with a light blue color that just emanated from his skin. "Even the smallest concentration of chakra can make a kikaichū ignore their instincts to protect their host. Of course, they only pay attention to their host's chakra, in case you are worried about an opponent trying to take advantage of this."

Shiki hadn't actually considered that until now and was relieved to hear that.

"All it takes, after that, is a simple command—it does not even have to be a verbal one." Having said that, tiny little beetles flew off from Shinjiro's hand and made a heart-shaped formation in front of Shiki's face. "Do you understand?"

Shiki stared at the heart-shaped formation for a few seconds before smiling wide and laughing. "I understand, Otou-san! Hey—when are we going to practice using chakra?"

If it hadn't been for her Uncle Shibi explaining to her the fundamentals of chakra, Shiki would have been asking question after question in order to seem like a child still learning about the world around her.

"We shall start as soon as you built enough stamina—how have you been doing today, by the way?" Shinjiro asked, adjusting his glasses afterwards.

Shiki blinked a few times. "Fine…I only coughed twice today!"

And that was because Great-Aunt Shikimi's triplets bought her green tea ice cream. The fact that it took Shiki this long to realize that it was her asthma that always made her cough after consuming ice cream in her past life and now was enough to make her want to slap her forehead for being an idiot. Of course, she did not do that and continued eating her ice cream, while suppressing the urge to cough.

…

Shiki needed to be extra careful with this life.

"Is that so?" Shinjiro sounded amused as he placed a hand on top of Shiki's head to ruffle her hair. "That is especially good to hear…now let us continue with stretching."

Shiki nodded her head and allowed her father to help her stretch, moving her body into positions she could most definitely couldn't do in her past life. There really were perks to being a child again—that being flexibility.

…

…

It was almost summer once Shinjiro sat Shiki down to teach her how to use chakra. And when Shiki managed to make her hands glow faintly with the same light blue color that came off of her father's hand, she felt absolutely elated. The sensation that came from using chakra was unbelievable. It was so warm and so soft…she almost wanted to put her hand into her mouth—just to see what it tasted like. After all, her kikaichū fed on chakra.

It was shortly after that, that Shinjiro stuck a leaf on Shiki's forehead and asked her to try her best to direct all of her chakra onto the leaf. That was when things became increasingly difficult. While Shiki was able to do what she had been told for a few seconds, the leaf didn't stay stuck on her forehead for very long. Shiki made a face when she watched the leaf flutter slowly onto the floor.

"You should not make such a face—even your father had a difficult time with the leaf concentration exercise," Shinjiro reassured his daughter. "Now let us try again and remember, practice makes perfect—so do take your time."

Shiki nodded her head and picked up the leaf. She then stuck it on her forehead and tried again. This time, she managed to keep it on her forehead for seven seconds. Seven soon became eleven and with each attempt Shiki tried, her time kept increasing ever so slowly. After about fifteen minutes, Shinjiro had Shiki stop.

"Slow and steady, remember?" Shinjiro said as he removed the leaf from Shiki's forehead. "You are still quite new to using chakra, so it would be best not to rush yourself. After all, using chakra continuously can be quite exhausting and strenuous."

"Okay!" Shiki understood.

"We shall try again tomorrow and keep at it, until your fourth birthday." Shinjiro smiled warmly at Shiki as he tousled her hair.

…

…

* * *

Shinjiro worried for his daughter more than one could ever imagine. So when he came across her as she learned how to play the koto, with their seventeen-year-old cousin, Shikuro, giving her lessons…Shinjiro felt a little uncomfortable. After all, Shikuro wasn't like a good majority of the clan, who were hosts to kikaichū.

Shikuro was part of a special branch of the Aburame clan, being a host to rinkaichū and not kikaichū. Rinkaichū, unlike kikaichū, act more independently of the host. Unlike kikaichū, rinkaichū are much more miniscule and are capable of destroying their enemies' cells, causing excruciating pain in the process. Fortunately, direct physical contact—skin contact being mostly preferred—is required for the Aburame to transfer rinkaichū onto the victim's body.

Unfortunately, this made it increasingly difficult for rinkaichū hosts to ever be physically affectionate, without precautions. Of course, the Aburame were never one to back down from a challenge and as dangerous as it was to do so, they never went as far as to exclude any rinkaichū hosts from the familial warmth extended to everyone else. An Aburame would rather die than allow something to hinder their desire to embrace their own child.

Still, even with Shikuro dressed the way he is, to avoid exposing any skin that could potentially transfer rinkaichū onto someone else and as skilled as he was in controlling his rinkaichū, Shinjiro worried. Shinjiro worried like the parent he was, for the "what ifs" going through his head as he watched Shiki interact with Shikuro. Shinjiro felt a little guilty, because he was underestimating the precautions Shikuro, himself, was taking, in order to ensure the utmost care so as to not transfer any rinkaichū onto Shiki.

"That is quite beautiful, Shiki-san," Shikuro complimented Shiki as she plucked on a few strings in a specific order, making a rather pleasant sound.

"Thank you, Shikuro-san," Shiki said as she continued to pluck the strings on the koto, using her tsume-tipped fingers. She listened carefully, trying to find the right note before plucking on the same strings as before, except adding another note to the current song she seemed to be making.

Shinjiro was honestly amazed at how creative his daughter was, but that was to be expected of her, considering how much time she spent with her relatives.

Shikimi's husband, Naomi, had started teaching Shiki how to read after she took quite an interest in his poetry. Shinobu had only continued from where Naomi began, teaching Shiki how to write, as well as letting her dabble in calligraphy, in order to improve her penmanship. Shiki liked to listen to Kunie, who loved to talk about the history of their clan and the village they lived in, Konohagakure. Chihiro, Chiaki, and Chitose had already introduced the basics of mathematics and measurement to their cousin, using cooking and eating as a medium—which was honestly quite clever.

No matter what it was she was doing, Shiki was  _always_  doing something with her family…and learning. She was certainly going to be quite the bright student once she entered the Academy, Shinjiro couldn't help but think. He was already imagining his daughter, rushing out of the Academy building, where he would be waiting for her at a tree, each and every day, after classes were over. She would be showing off the good marks she had received on her papers and exams, looking so proud.

And even if she didn't receive good marks, Shinjiro wouldn't mind. It wasn't as though he was hoping to have a genius for a daughter. He was just happy having a daughter—one he could love and cherish. With that in mind, Shinjiro continued to watch his cousin and daughter interact, not wanting to interrupt them.

Because, like Shiki, Shinjiro was also learning…he was learning to trust.

* * *

…

…

It was late in the summer when Shiki started to notice an issue with her eyes. Over the past few days, it had been taking longer and longer for her eyes to adjust to whatever lighting there was in the room. Whether she was just waking up or walking into a different room, the lighting just irritated the hell out of Shiki's eyes. Shiki thought nothing much of it, just pegging it down as something someone of her age would experience—she wouldn't know, as she had hazy memories of when she was three-years-old in her past life.

Then she woke up one morning, unable to open her eyes at all. Everything was just so much brighter than usual, that her eyes just didn't want to adjust. It  _hurt_  to open her eyes, to the point she was starting to get headaches from trying to open them. She had no idea what to do and was extremely glad that her father had come to check up on her, asking what she wanted for breakfast.

"Otou-san—everything is too bright!" Shiki exclaimed as she covered her eyes, feeling more vulnerable than ever.

Shiki was almost expecting Shinjiro to panic, as he had when he witness his daughter's first ever asthma attack. However, Shinjiro stayed calm and just lifted Shiki off her futon, calmly speaking to her in a voice that always seemed to ease her nerves.

"Everything is fine, Shiki," Shinjiro reassured. "Your eyes are just in need of protection from the light."

"What?" Shiki was confused.

"I might just be making assumptions, but you must have wondered why the Aburame always wear glasses…am I correct?" Shinjiro asked her in a rather calm and steady voice.

"I guess…" Shiki always wondered, but never felt the need to ask…but it seemed as though she was going to get an answer, even without needing to ask.

"Once the children of this clan reach a certain age, their eyes become increasingly sensitive to light," Shinjiro explained. "This light sensitivity does wane with age, but never enough to discard our glasses completely."

" _So that's what it is…"_  Shiki never considered that it was something as simplistic (in her opinion) as light sensitivity that warranted the use of sunglasses in the Aburame clan. Though, now she couldn't help but wonder… "Is it because of our kikaichū?"

…

"You are correct," Shinjiro replied. "It is because of our kikaichū, though it is nothing too serious. You will eventually grow accustomed to your glasses, as you have your kikaichū—how are they now, by the way?"

"Fine!" It had actually been months since Shiki realized she could no longer feel her kikaichū's presence within her body. She could still feel them whenever they induced that prickling sensation whenever she wasn't paying attention, but aside from that, it was as if they weren't there. "Is this what you meant that I would eventually wear my own pair of glasses like you, Otou-san?"

"It is, indeed…" If Shiki's eyes hadn't been so sensitive to the light that she needed to keep them closed, she would have noticed that her father was smiling at how good her memory was. "Though, I should have been more truthful, as you will start off with goggles before you start wearing glasses."

"Goggles?" Shiki repeated questioningly.

Shinjiro chuckled. "You shall see…"

…

About half an hour later, Shiki found out what her father had meant as she looked at her own reflection in the mirror in front of her. She blinked a few times, her hands moving towards the frame of the goggles that she now wore. Dark lenses completely obscured her eyes, giving her a similar look to that of her father and other relatives. They made her almost look…creepy. But…she could see.

_I can see._

The light no longer irritated her eyes and she could actually  _keep_  them open. The goggles also fit rather comfortably, so they weren't pressed so tightly against her face, but enough to stay in place. And they covered her yellow eyes…

…

"Otou-san…what happened to Okaa-san?" Shiki felt the need to ask after she turned around to face her father. She knew that the only person she could have inherited her yellow eyes from was her mother—that woman who had made Shiki feel safe and warm on the day she had been born.

Silence followed her question, as her father's expression went blank. Shinjiro stared at his daughter for a good minute before kneeling down to her level and placing his hand on top of her head.

"A mother is someone who is there for you," Shinjiro began. "Who cherishes every moment spent with you…who will do anything to keep you safe…who loves you…who accepts you…"

Shiki was almost confused as to why Shinjiro was telling her this…then she realized that he had chosen his words carefully.

_She didn't want me, did she?_

That was a sobering thought…to be rejected by the person who had given birth to her. What made it so conflicting was how loved Shiki had felt when that woman held her, fed her, and even sang to her…

_Why?_

"Why was I born?" Shiki didn't like how fast her heart had started to beat…or how her chest had started to hurt, as though something had been squeezing her heart. Her mouth was dry and it felt as though something had gotten caught in her throat. Her eyes were starting to burn and she felt… _cold_.

_Why?_

…

"Because of unplanned circumstances, you came to be…" was Shinjiro's response.

There was literally no other way to interpret that except that Shiki was an accident. She was never planned. Whatever it was that went on between her father and that woman ended up with Shiki as the byproduct of that encounter.

_So that's why…_

If Shiki were to be honest, this was not the first time she found out she had been an accident or rather, the product of an unplanned pregnancy. In her past life, that was the entire reason why there had been a near thirteen-year age gap between her and her fourth oldest sibling. The only difference, however, is that her past mother  _wanted_  to have her, unlike the woman who had given birth to Shiki.

_Why was I even born, if she didn't want me?_

Shiki felt like crying, because she was so frustrated with this information she had received. She had so many questions, but no motivation to ask them. She was better off just being happy that she had her father and the Aburame clan.

_At least one good thing came out from being unwanted…_

"If you must know, I am very happy that you were born," Shinjiro's comment snapped Shiki out of her thoughts. "I am happy, because you are my daughter…and nothing will ever change that. Do you understand?"

Shiki stopped to contemplate what her father had just told her. She heard him clearly, but she just wanted to let his words sink in—to remind her that, while someone didn't want her, someone else did. And because of that, she wasn't alone.

_I'm not alone._

"Otou-san…can I have tamagoyaki for breakfast?" Shiki asked her father.

Shinjiro looked at his daughter and smiled. "Of course…"

…

As the days passed since that faithful morning, Shiki acted the same way she usually did. She smiled when she felt happy and laughed when she thought it was appropriate. But deep down, she still felt hurt over the fact that she had been unwanted by the one person who had given birth to her…but decided it wasn't worth letting it get to her. She had more issues to worry about—such as preventing Obito from ever becoming Tobi.

Why Shiki focused all of her attention on Obito, was because of how deeply he had affected the plot of Naruto. Had Obito not "died" and become Tobi, Namikaze Minato and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina, would still be alive. Naruto would have had a much happier life—one spent with his parents. The Uchiha clan would have stayed intact because the Kyuubi never attacked Konohagakure on the night Naruto was born…

It was frightening, that one character could have so much impact on the future…but Shiki didn't have time to be scared. All she had time for, at the current moment, was to plan. Shiki had been thinking long and hard about how to approach this situation. If she could find the exact moment that would solidify the foundation that made Obito become the type of person that was manipulated by Uchiha Madara—if she could weaken that foundation, then maybe…

" _The future could be changed…"_  Shiki thought to herself as she carefully guided the brush in her hand across the paper. She had been working on her calligraphy alongside her cousin, Shinobu. Shinobu had been waiting patiently for her to finish, looking rather proud that his three-year-old cousin had progressed so well. When Shiki had finished, she held up her paper for her cousin to see.

Mirai, or future, is what Shiki had written on her paper. She wanted something to look at, each and every morning, to remind her of the mission she placed on herself. It was not going to be easy, but if there was one thing Shiki had learned, growing up alongside the Aburame, it was that trying was better than doing nothing at all.

…

Days soon turned to weeks, which quickly became months and before Shiki even knew it, she was turning four. And the day right after, marked the start of another year—the year she would enter the Academy. From what she heard, the Academy began accepting students in the spring, which she presumed would be sometime in April. That only gave her four months to prepare herself for meeting a multitude of people who she only knew as characters from a manga she had read in her past life.

It was going to be rather difficult, as Shiki was never one to do well around strangers, which was something that carried over from her past life. It also didn't help that she would be the only Aburame attending the Academy this year, as her remaining relatives that had been attending had recently become Genin. Being the current youngest member of the Aburame clan, Shiki would be the first and last member to enter the Academy within the past seven years, and it would stay that way for at least five years. After all, the minimum age for entrance into the Academy was five or turning five within the end of the year.

Shiki sometimes thought to herself about how close she had been to being left behind, had she been born a day later. But then she remembered that those types of thoughts were pointless, now that everything had been said and done. The only way she could change her own birthday was to make a fake identity, but even then, that still wouldn't change the fact that she was born on New Year's Eve.

It was a comforting thought, just thinking that…but then Shiki realized that, if things didn't go the way she tried to plan, her birthday wouldn't be the only thing that couldn't be changed.

" _This really sucks…"_  Shiki sighed as she looked over the freshly cut flowers, stems, and twigs that were laid out in front of her. To anyone who came across her now, she would appear to be making an arrangement. What she was actually doing, was using these materials as a substitute for people she had to keep in mind and the connections they had.

Rather than write it on paper, as she had previously considered, Shiki decided to use ikebana. It was the safest option she had and it was easier to keep track of names when associated with something so familiar to her. The container for her arrangement was what she considered, in her mind, to represent Konoha.

The kenzan that had been placed inside the container would be Obito, who started off alone, as Naruto did in the manga. The kenzan would fix the flowers to the container, thus representing a connection. Shiki had no specific style in mind, though it would be considered jiyūka, as it was a free creative design that was not confined to flowers. Every material can be used in jiyūka and that is what Shiki wanted.

Soon, the kenzan had material fixated to it, keeping it inside the container. How Shiki saw it was that Obito was no longer alone, having made so many connections…but what caught her attention was how, before all of that, it began with one person…

_Nohara Rin._

Shiki was already aware of how much importance the girl was to Obito, as he considered Rin to be the only light in his life. And when Shiki cut off the flower representing Rin, with a pair of scissors she referred to as Madara, the arrangement she had made no longer looked complete. Shiki was honestly not that surprised.

" _Everything starts with her,"_ Shiki thought as she looked at the flower she had finished cutting off from the arrangement.  _"She kept them together…and drove them apart, until the very end…"_

An easier outcome would be to prevent Nohara Rin's death, but that would make events too set into stone. After all, Madara always seemed to have a damn backup plan…

" _That salty bastard…"_  Shiki made a face as she resisted the urge to crush the flower in her hand. Instead of crushing the flower, Shiki looked at it, almost wistfully. Rin was such a nice girl, only to get screwed over because Obito happened to fall in love with her and Madara noticed.

_Love…_

Shiki paused for a moment to think. She could try to prevent Obito from falling in love with Rin…but Shiki wasn't going to get herself involved with that—she didn't even know where to  _begin_  with that. And if there was one thing Shiki knew about herself, it was that she had little to no experience with love. The most experience she ever had with love, was a first crush on a high school friend who wasn't interested in getting into any relationships at all, whatsoever. That still didn't make the mixed signals from said friend any less confusing, as it was just her luck to be friends with a bisexual flirty jokester.

…

…

" _I miss everyone so much…"_   Shiki sighed as she allowed herself to slump onto the floor. She missed the friends and family she had left behind. She could only hope that her past life's death wasn't too gruesome…  _"Great, now I'm worrying about this life."_

Because a gruesome death seemed to be a staple, living in a world where child soldiers were the norm, and old age seemed to be the ultimate life goal. Speaking of which, old age was definitely one of Shiki's life goals.

" _I_ _ **better**_ _die of old age…"_   Shiki huffed as she dug her hands into her jacket's pockets. She made a face when her right hand came across her inhaler.  _"How is this even gonna work?"_

It was going to be a pain in the ass, dealing with asthma in this world. Shiki could only hope it didn't prove to be too much of a hindrance, once she entered the Academy. She really hoped that people wouldn't stare…

And deep down, she hoped to make some friends…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So more world building, with a side of family interactions—I enjoyed the hell out of making these OCs. By the by, names such as Kunie, Naomi, Chihiro, Chiaki, Chitose, and Shinobu are all gender neutral—in case anyone is wondering.
> 
> In any case, I had fun with the Aburame clan this chapter and might have based the way they are on bees—because bees. And considering how every Aburame has always worn sunglasses, I just came to the conclusion that they're just photophobic—meaning they have light-sensitive eyes. Like the reason why there are so few females in the clans, the kikaichū have also had an influence for an Aburame's light sensitivity. I mean, there has to be some cons to the symbiotic relationship, but it still balances out. I mean, female Aburame are something you do not wish to encounter on the battlefield—like noooo.
> 
> So yeah, fun fact, I just recently learned that the reason I kept coughing after eating ice cream was because my asthma was acting up. All these effing years, and it takes me until now, to realize that's why I've been coughing. Honestly, I just can't believe myself sometimes. And credit goes to ChibiFoxAI for the suggestion of the rumors involving female Aburame eating the males during the honeymoon, like insects do.
> 
> Oh, and Butterfly Child readers will probably find Shiki's experience with her first crush familiar and let me just say…it's the same damn thing. Chōko's first crush and Shiki's first crush are the same person and I think I should mention it upfront, right now, that Shiki is asexual.
> 
> Notice a trend with how all my SI OCs have been asexual? That's because I am asexual—yes, if you guys haven't caught on. In any case, that's enough about me, though, to clarify, just because Shiki is asexual doesn't mean she does not experience romantic attraction—she's not aromantic, like her father.
> 
> Anyways, Shiki found out about her mother this chapter! Not exactly as dramatic, as one would expect and you would think Shinjiro would lie to Shiki, since she's only three…but he knows his daughter isn't stupid, considering the way he told her. And while Shiki knows her mother didn't want her, she doesn't know the exact reason why.
> 
> So I guess that is it for now, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I certainly did! I am still doing the whole multitasking thing, so do expect me to be all over the place this summer, in case you thought I was joking! Until next time, everyone!


	5. Encounter

On the day of the entrance ceremony, Shiki had woken up early to get ready. She had never felt so nervous, so… _nauseous_. The instance she felt the bile rise up in her throat, Shiki ran as fast as she could toward the bathroom, where she spent three minutes emptying the contents of her stomach.

" _Not even there, and I'm already freaking out…"_  Shiki coughed as she pulled herself away from the toilet and made her way over to the sink to wash out her mouth.  _"I doubt a four-year-old should even be experiencing something like this…"_

Shiki trailed off when she noticed her reflection in the mirror. She looked…horrible—though only because she had just finished throwing up. For the most part, she appeared like her usual self, wearing the same long-sleeved jacket with a high, upturned collar that members of her clan wore. Her jacket was colored white and had a hemline that went past her knees. The collar was high enough to cover the lower half of her face, which proved to be a huge annoyance when she was throwing up—that and her long hair.

In the past four years that she had been Aburame Shiki, Shiki had never once cut her hair. It had gotten long enough to reach past her shoulders. Her hair was parted, so that her long bangs framed the sides of her face, with the right side of her face mostly covered. Her eyes were still obscured behind the goggles that would eventually be replaced with a pair of glasses when she got older.

" _This is me…"_  Shiki couldn't help but think.  _"This is Aburame Shiki…"_

She was four years old—soon to turn five by the end of the year—and today was the day of the entrance ceremony. Today would also be the day that Uchiha Obito would be late, missing the entire ceremony as a result. Along with that, today was also the day he would meet Nohara Rin and Hatake Kakashi…

Shiki swallowed hard before reaching into her pocket to pull out her inhaler. Her breathing had grown uncomfortable, most likely as a result from her current distressed state. After a few puffs of her inhaler, Shiki felt better, though not too much. She was anxious for today's events. She was at a loss at what to do.

She had thought of so many things, but nothing ever stuck…not without making her feel wrong, in the sense that she had contemplated on intercepting the meeting between Obito and Rin. She never considered how she personally felt about the situation until now, when it was almost in front of her face.

" _I'll just…try my best…"_  Shiki smiled at herself in the mirror.  _"Whatever happens…happens…"_

Shiki just hoped that this mentality of hers wasn't permanent…

…

…

Shiki held onto her father's hand tightly with both of hers. She looked nervously at her surroundings, as this was the first time that she had left the Aburame compound, not including the times she had been taken to the hospital. This was the very first time she was actually exploring Konoha…and there were so many people. So many…children, with their parents, going in the direction her father was taking her.

Shiki felt nervous to even look, for fear of seeing someone she might recognize. Despite all the time she had taken to prepare herself, it was all for naught, as Shiki was nervous as fuck. She just wanted to tell herself that this wasn't real…that it was all a dream.

Then Yūhi Kurenai and her extremely young father, Shinku, walked by and Shiki felt like panicking.

This was real.

This was so very  **real**.

Within years, those of her age group were going to be on the front lines of the Third Shinobi World War.

_I'm going to be in a fucking war…_

Shiki's chest felt tight. Her breathing became difficult, and she almost wanted to cough. Moving a shaky hand to her pocket, she pulled out her inhaler and breathed in a few puffs. She hoped no one had noticed—she didn't want them to notice.

But Shinjiro did. He gave Shiki's hand a reassuring squeeze, causing her to look up at him as he smiled at her. That smile…it was just a smile, but…Shiki felt safe. It made her feel safe. And that was all it took for Shiki to allow herself to calm down.

She was still nervous, but not as much as she had been previously.

" _I can do this…"_  Shiki told herself mentally.  _"I can do this…"_

" _ **You can do this."**_

Shiki almost stopped when she heard something talk to her…but soon realized that it was just the kikaichū that had crawled onto her collar to give her some reassurance. Even her own kikaichū were trying to reassure her…and just knowing that, reminded her that she wasn't alone.

As an Aburame, she would never be alone…not with her kikaichū.

"Thank you," Shiki whispered back to the lone kikaichū that soon scurried into her jacket.

…

…

Shiki's nervousness returned when she and her father had to separate as soon as they had reached the Academy. There were so many students crowding the entrance area, as Chuunin instructors were dividing them up by years in order to give them the proper entrance documents. With so many people talking, Shiki couldn't concentrate and with how nervous she had gotten, she couldn't even begin to understand what her kikaichū were trying to tell her. She wanted to ask someone—anyone—where the new students were supposed to go, but she couldn't bring herself to ask.

" _Some things never change…"_  Shiki found herself smiling wistfully when she noticed that not much has changed about herself. She was still as much of an introvert as ever when she was on her own, too nervous to ask for help for fear of being seen as stupid. She almost screamed when someone tapped on her shoulder, only for a calm and gentle voice to ask, "Are you lost?"

Shiki stayed still for a moment before turning around and when she did, she was extremely glad that her goggles kept her eyes hidden. Otherwise, Nohara Rin would have seen how wide Shiki's eyes had gotten from shock.

It was so strange, seeing those warm, brown eyes staring at her. They were so full of life—so innocent…

_You're going to die unless things change…_

Shiki swallowed hard and nodded her head, unable to say anything to Rin.

Rin smiled warmly at Shiki and grabbed onto her hand. "Okay, just follow me—I'm Nohara Rin, by the way!"

"Aburame Shiki!" Shiki managed to blurt out. She was extremely glad for the high collar her jacket had, otherwise, Rin would have been able to see how hard she had been blushing.

"That's a nice name, Shiki-chan!" Oh gosh, Shiki was going to turn into a puddle of mush with the way Rin kept talking to her.

" _No wonder Obito fell for her!"_  Shiki felt her heartbeat beginning to speed up as Rin dragged her through the crowd of students. Rin was just so… _nice_.  _"I can't let her die!"_

…

…

Throughout the entrance ceremony, Shiki found herself hovering by Rin's side. Rin didn't seem to mind Shiki's presence, never mind that the two had just met. Even though Shiki was screaming on the inside, she was relieved that a familiar face was actually treating her nicely. It made everything just a little better.

_Oh god, I want to be her friend so badly, it_ _**hurts** _ _…_

Shiki didn't even know where to begin when it came to talking to Rin. Like…how does one even ask people to be friends?

_Come to think of it, how did I do it?_

…

…

Shiki inwardly sighed when she realized she never asked people to be her friend. She just kept meeting with them consistently until they all came to a mutual agreement that they were friends. And that was her entire high school year in a nutshell. College was…the same.

" _I don't even think you're supposed to ask people to be your friend…"_ Friendship was difficult, Shiki concluded as she recalled her past life.

…

_Okay, fuck it—I'll ask._

"A-Ah…Rin-san?" Oh gosh, her voice was so quiet when it wanted to be…

"Hmm…?" was Rin's response.

"Can I be your friend?" Shiki couldn't help but marvel at how smooth she was to ask that question.

Rin blinked a few times and smiled. "Sure you can!"

Shiki stared at Rin for a good minute before looking down at the manila envelope that she held in her hands. A wide smile crossed her lips, as Shiki was just so… _happy_. She felt warm and fuzzy inside. She almost wanted to embrace Rin…but Shiki had more self-control than that.

…

…

After the entrance ceremony, Shiki was hoping to talk a little more with Rin as they made their way out of the building. The only problem with that was that Shiki got separated from Rin as they and everyone else exited the building. Not wanting to lose Rin, Shiki started pushing her way through, giving absolutely no fucks about how rude she would come off to others. She didn't know them and at the current moment, she just wanted out of the rush of students.

It was so crowded and loud—two things that Shiki hated. She had grown too accustomed to the quiet and spacious life she had amongst her clan. As affectionate and close as everyone was, personal space was still an important issue— _especially_  considering the rinkaichū hosts that made up part of her clan. Shiki liked her space…

"Move out of my way!" Shiki wanted to say, but didn't as she continued to move through the rush of students in her way. She just wanted to catch up to Rin…  _"I can't lose her—I need to introduce her to Dad!"_

Those were Shiki's last thoughts before she ran into someone that happened to be in her way. In hindsight, she should have been paying more attention to who was in front of her instead of keeping her gaze focused on Rin.

_THUD!_

Shiki winced when she landed rear-first onto the ground. What followed after was a strange sensation that made her feel as though thousands of tiny needles were prickling her skin. It wasn't painful, but it  _was_  uncomfortable—as though something was going to come out of her. It took her a couple of seconds to realize that it was her kikaichū, about ready to attack in response to the physical impact she had after bumping into someone.

_Crap!_

Shiki didn't hesitate to charge up a tiny amount of chakra to her hand and give the nonverbal command. Almost instantly, the prickling sensation faded and with that, Shiki exhaled shakily.

" _That was close…"_  Shiki thought as she focused her attention on the person she bumped into. The look of shock that was on her face was completely hidden behind her collar, goggles, and hair that had gotten in her face when she saw that it was Uchiha Obito.  _"Motherfucker…"_

Obito was currently staring at her, for whatever reason, Shiki couldn't say…until a look of horror crossed his face. "Y-You're from the Aburame clan! Gross!"

It had never occurred to Shiki that Tobi's comment toward Aburame Shino, her now future cousin, reflected how Obito truly felt about the Aburame clan…until now, as the Uchiha backed away as far as he could get, while still on the ground. It had also never occurred to Shiki that her kikaichū could easily transfer themselves onto others through physical contact, in the same way rinkaichū did. Of course, she was learning new things today, as she watched Obito desperately swat away at the tiny beetles that had gotten onto his clothes.

And because of what had happened, all eyes were now on Shiki.

…

…

* * *

Uchiha Obito had already came to a conclusion that today was going to be a bad day for him when he finally arrived at the Academy, only to find out he had missed the entrance ceremony, as a result of his tardiness. What he hadn't expected, was for his day to get even  _worse_  when that Aburame suddenly bumped into him. The bugs that had been passed onto him were just so  _gross_.

Obito didn't like bugs. He  **especially**  didn't like the bugs that came off of the Aburame clan—kikaichū, was it? Whatever it was, Obito wanted  _nothing_  to do with them. He heard the rumors…and might have had a few nightmares about them as well. Not that he will ever admit that…

Still, there was just something wrong with the fact that each and every member of the Aburame clan was covered in bugs—at least to Obito, it was. And for some of them to get on him after that kid crashed into him so suddenly…it was enough to make Obito freak out and say some things he would probably regret later…

Actually, he was already starting to regret it, but it was too late to take it back. Everyone had heard what he had said and if there was one thing Obito knew from experience, it was that the damage had already been done. What has been said…has been said.

The least Obito could have done was apologize, unlike his relatives who never seemed to give a damn about him. However, just as he was about ready to say the words, a man suddenly appeared in front of him and picked up the Aburame who had bumped into him.

Long before the man turned around, Obito already knew he was part of the Aburame clan as well, based on the white jacket he wore. The black visor sunglasses that obscured the man's eyes only confirmed that.

_Thump! Thump! Thump!_

Obito could feel his heart pounding within his chest. He swallowed hard as he began to wonder how someone whose eyes he couldn't see could glare at him so intensely. Obito couldn't move and just watched as the man walked off, carrying the child in such a loving way that Obito couldn't help but feel jealous.

Whispers soon broke out as everyone that had witnessed the scene started to gossip. Obito felt his stomach churned as he heard these whispers. And when a girl his age with purple facial markings, short brown hair, and big brown eyes approached him to give him a manila envelope that everyone else possessed, Obito couldn't help but noticed how sad the girl seemed.

Then she spoke. "That wasn't very nice."

Obito felt his cheeks heat up from embarrassment. He couldn't even think of a response as he took the envelope from the girl's hand. Shortly after that, the girl walked away, going in the direction that the man that had glared at him so intensely went. Obito's gaze never left the girl, as her words continued to echo throughout his mind.

" _That wasn't very nice."_

It wasn't and Obito knew that very clearly, to the point he just felt ashamed. And when Obito saw that the girl was carrying two envelopes instead of one, he looked back at the envelope in his hands. He couldn't help but wonder how someone could be so nice to a person like him…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, fun fact, while I had a gist of what I wanted to do with this story, this entire chapter wasn't part of it. It wasn't planned originally, is what I wanted to say and the reason it came to be is because of that one scene in chapter 394, where Tobi sees Shino and his kikaichū. The comment Tobi made is what served as a basis for this chapter.
> 
> And while Shiki had been preparing herself for the changes she was going to have to make, it's one thing planning it out, but actually doing something once it's in front of your face is a different story. After all, things are easier said than done. It'll take time for Shiki to get past whatever hesitance she has. Of course, just being there and acting the way she had already caused a deviation, as you can see with the changed dynamics between Rin and Obito in their first meeting. This is, by the way, what I meant by indirect changes—expect to see a lot of those from here on out.
> 
> Also, if anyone's wondering about Yūhi Shinku, Kurenai's father, it's because I did some math that I pointed out in Butterfly Child that he would have had to have been thirteen when Kurenai was born because of his stated age (according to the wiki). If someone wishes to correct me on that, feel free except I have gotten too far with that idea to change it. Just think of it as a result of what the Second Shinobi World War did to people.
> 
> I mean, people die and for shinobi, death can be anytime and considering the type of person Shinku was, to tell Kurenai that he wanted his daughter to live long enough to have a grandchild to pass on the Will of Fire…it explains it.
> 
> Anyways, back on Shiki, you can already see the differences between her and Chōko. Chōko had Chōji growing up, as well as Shikamaru before they entered the Academy. Shiki, on the other hand, only had her family, so she's rather sheltered. After all, this was her first time out of the Aburame compound that didn't involve a visit to the hospital.
> 
> Oh, and just to let everyone know, I based Shiki's father off of Shinjiro Aragaki from Persona 3, and if any of you guys have been imagining him whenever Aburame Shinjiro is mentioned…I've done my job. You have UnstableFable to thank for this, because she solidified the image of Aburame Shinjiro living up to his namesake, being this househusband wearing a big-ass covering coat, but with an apron around his waist. I believe those were her exact words, too…
> 
> Well, that's it for this chapter, so I hope you guys enjoyed it. Sorry if it was short, but I just thought I'd end it there. So until next time, everyone!


	6. Awkward

Shinjiro had never felt such an intense desire to protect until he heard what that boy had said about his daughter.

_"Y-You're from the Aburame clan! Gross!"_

Shinjiro had been anticipating the day Shiki would start attending the Academy. He worried over how the other students would treat her, as the other members of the clan had when it came to their own children. It wasn't even the first day of classes, and Shinjiro's fears had already been confirmed.

Even if it was just one boy, that was all it took. That was  _all_  it always took. Otherwise, Shinjiro wouldn't have had to endure the rocky beginning he had with his own teammates. It was an unfortunate outcome, for the Aburame clan, to be the most susceptible to rumors, as a result of being the enigma of the Four Noble Clans of Konohagakure.

Long before the founding of Konoha, during the time of the Warring States Period, rumors were what  _defined_  the Aburame clan. No one dared to approach the clan, for fear of confirming any rumors heard about them to be true. At the time, the Aburame embraced these rumors to avoid as little conflict as possible, due to one too many Aburame having died either too soon or too young.

Though, now, the only good the rumors provided was a fearful reputation in battle. Outside of the battlefield, the Aburame were avoided and treated with caution. They were avoided, due to the internalized fear of the unknown. And the caution was mostly because of how dangerous the Aburame were, as a result of their kikaichū.

It was one of the reasons why the Aburame clan raised their children within the confines of their compound, for the first few years of their life. Initially, that had been the only reason, but then the Aburame began to fear the treatment their children would receive from others. After all, people can be cruel—children especially.

While that boy probably meant no harm, considering some of Shiki's kikaichū had gotten on him, his words still left an impression on Shinjiro. And if they left an impression on him, then that meant it would leave impression on the others. The fact that the boy, based on his distinctive onyx-black eyes, was part of the Uchiha clan only added more weight to his words…at least, towards the children of civilians. They were the most vulnerable of Academy students, being the students that have the most barriers to overcome.

Long before their admittance into the Academy, children from civilian families were required to take an entrance exam as they lacked the power and connections children from shinobi families possessed in order to ensure entrance. If they passed the exam, they were allowed admittance.

Admittance to children from civilian families, however, was considered temporary for the very first year, until they progressed to the next year. To many, the first year was considered the most difficult and that was because the first year of the Academy was spent weeding out those unfit for the shinobi life.

Many civilians make the incorrect assumption that anyone could enter the Academy and learn to become a shinobi. It was their children who proved that assumption wrong, as they realized that not everyone was fit for the life of a shinobi. And with that realization, came insecurities that develop from observing their peers.

Among those one would usually find picking on a student, be they of shinobi heritage or not, that was considered the dead last of their class, were children from civilian families, venting on those who scored lower than they did as means of concealing insecurities. That is not to say that children from shinobi families were any different, as they were under much pressure to fulfill the expectations placed on them by either their own clan, or their own shinobi heritage. And it was a result of such mistreatment, that the Academy became either place filled with good memories…or a living hell.

Shinjiro knew all too well of this…because he had been there to witness it all. What was unfortunate, was that he was neither the first nor last. For that reason alone, he was concerned for his daughter, who would be on her own at the Academy, with no family member in sight.

Would they make fun of her for having asthma? Would they isolate her because of her kikaichū? Would they bring up the fact that she was a bastard child?

There were just so many concerns Shinjiro had and while he knew that he wouldn't always be there for Shiki, he still wanted to try. It was conflicting… On one hand, he wanted to protect Shiki and keep the little girl he had raised for the past four years with him at all times. On the other hand, that wouldn't be fair for Shiki, who still had so much to learn about life outside of the Aburame compound.

…

By the time Shinjiro had made it home, his daughter still in his arms, he came to a conclusion that while he would have to eventually let his daughter go, that didn't mean he was going to have to like it. In the meantime, he decided to make the most of whatever time he had left with his daughter, as tomorrow would be her first day of classes.

_Growl._

Though, before that, Shinjiro needed to make lunch for Shiki…and everyone else, since he might as well save everyone else the time of making their own lunches. And it was half an hour later, as he was in the middle of cooking lunch, that Shinjiro discovered that Shiki had a surprise visitor.

It was a girl with short, brown hair and big brown eyes. The purple facial markings on her cheeks, as well as her introduction, only confirmed that she was from the Nohara clan. Nohara Rin was her name and she had an extra manila envelope on her that contained the entrance documents that were given out before the entrance ceremony. It was upon seeing that envelope that Shiki finally realized that she didn't have hers, as she had dropped them when she had bumped into the Uchiha boy.

In hindsight, Shinjiro should have asked Shiki if she had her documents on her, but at the time, he just wanted her away from everyone else. Though, considering the outcome that led to this encounter…Shinjiro didn't have any regrets.

Nohara Rin was a sweet girl and Shiki seemed taken with her, even referring to the girl as a friend.

" _A friend, huh…?"_  A small smile crossed Shinjiro's lips as he stared at two girls standing before him. "Hey, Nohara-san…would you like to stay over for lunch?"

Rin blinked when he asked her this and then smiled a moment afterwards as she replied, "That would be nice!"

"Just tell me your likes and dislikes, and you can sit down with Shiki." Shinjiro needed a reference for the bento he was going to make Shiki tomorrow, which he would make sure there was enough for her to share with Rin.

"I like strawberries the best, but tsukudani the least…" Rin made a rather cute face when she said of the name of the food she liked least.

…

Time almost seemed to fly with Rin around…at least, that was how it seemed to Shinjiro. He was just so content to see that his daughter had managed to make a friend so quickly—and with someone so nice. While Shinjiro still didn't like the fact that he was going to have to let his daughter go, it didn't seem as bad as it did previously, now that he knew she wasn't alone—not that she had ever been alone. Still, Shinjiro was grateful that Rin was Shiki's first friend.

It honestly gave him a positive outlook on Shiki's first day of classes, which was certainly saying something after what had happened earlier today.

* * *

…

…

As opposed to how nervous Shiki was during the day of the entrance ceremony, she was completely at ease come the next day and maybe even a bit eager to leave the Aburame compound. It probably helped that Rin would be waiting for her.

" _Friends are nice…"_  Shiki found herself smiling just thinking about having Rin as a friend. While she did have her entire clan for company, it felt nice to be friends with someone who wasn't family. The idea of meeting new people was probably what did it.

Though, there still was the issue over the fact Obito pretty much just called her gross because of her clan and the fact that she might have covered him in kikaichū… To be honest, it was better than her kikaichū attacking the kid and that was something that Shiki did  _not_  want.

_Nope, nope, nope!_

Compared the potential outcome that her kikaichū might have had on Obito, Shiki preferred what had happened the other day. And to be honest, Shiki wouldn't blame him for the outburst. After all, Shiki had quite a lot of time to grow accustom to her kikaichū, unlike Obito, who had some surprise guests on his clothes. And unlike her, Obito didn't have the protection she had against her own kikaichū—that mostly being them identifying her as their host.

It was all an accident, anyways, and Shiki would be damned if she held it personally against Obito. It was not as though she was ever innocent of doing the same thing to someone else…Shiki was not exactly the most tactful person in her past life, growing up. Unintentional insensitivity was definitely not something she could easily forget. Which was why she was letting Obito off the hook for his outburst.

Though, Shiki wasn't too sure about her father, who seemed to be extra protective of her today. He certainly kept a close eye on their surroundings for anything that seemed off…Shiki just hoped Shinjiro didn't hold that much of a grudge against Obito.

_He's like what…only five?_

His birthday was in February, if Shiki recalled…not that she would ever mention it to anyone until she heard it from a trustworthy source or from Obito, himself. Anyways, apart from being only five-years-old, Obito grew up, not knowing his own parents. Who the hell raised him?

" _That is honestly a good question…"_  Shiki needed to find ways to find answers. Otherwise, she was going to give herself a massive headache from thinking too much.

…

_Oh, fuck._

Shiki nearly slapped herself in the forehead then when she realized that yesterday's incident created a change in the meeting between Rin and Obito. For one thing, Shiki ran into Obito and that outburst Obito made could have potentially left a bad impression on Rin, as it had on Shinjiro. For another, Shiki fucking  _existed_ —she hadn't even  _meant_  to do anything that day. All she wanted was to get through the day and hopefully, have a good first day of school come the next day, but  _nooo_ , things just  **had**  to change because Rin noticed her and Shiki realized how much of a nice girl Rin was and so  _desperately_  wanted to be her friend.

_Really glad that worked out._

Though, the fact that it took Shiki this long to notice honestly worried her. She needed to keep better tabs on her actions. Of course, she had not taken into account that her existence alone could have done something like that. It was honestly scary…almost as scary as the fact that Obito had the biggest impact on the plot.

" _Well, at least I don't have to worry about feeling wrong for doing something purposely…"_  That still didn't make Shiki feel any better.  _"Whatever…"_

Shiki still had other things to worry about—like that salty bastard, Madara and his life-ruining back-up plans…but before that! Nohara Rin was waiting for her and Shiki was absolutely hyped. Nothing was better than going to school with your own friend—at least, in Shiki's opinion, because it would have taken a couple of weeks for her to adjust to being in a new environment with total strangers (somewhat) and no familiar faces around to provide some sort of comfort.

It was almost like college, now that Shiki thought about it…but college at least had familiar high school friends popping up, from time to time. So…kindergarten would be a better example.

…

…

Shiki had nearly forgotten about one crucial event that happened at the front of the Academy on the very first day of classes. She had almost forgotten…until she saw a certain pair of fathers with their sons. Seeing Maito Dai and Hatake Sakumo with their sons, Gai and Kakashi, almost made Shiki choke on her own spit.

" _Oh god, not them!"_  Shiki wanted nothing to do with them, if only because Dai and Sakumo were going to die…and there was nothing she could do about it. One, because Dai was Dai (if he was going to die in a blaze of glory protecting his son, chances of that changing are slim to none) and two, Shiki didn't know shit about the specific details involving the mission that disgraced Sakumo—just the gist of it, not the exact mission itself. She wouldn't know because it wasn't her business, as much as she wanted it to be.

Shiki could only hope that neither of the fathers would notice her and Shinjiro as they walked by them—

"Hey!" Motherfucker, Sakumo  _saw_ —why is her father stopping?! "I haven't seen you around since you became a Jounin, Shinjiro-san!"

Shiki felt her heart beginning to race when her father turned, so that the two of them were now facing the father-son duos. Dai seemed to be taking a bit of an interest in Shinjiro and Sakumo was just smiling like an idiot. Meanwhile with Gai and Kakashi, they just had this blank look on their faces.

"Something popped up," Shinjiro finally spoke after a moment of silence, in which he released Shiki's hand in order to place his hand on top of her head. It was this action that caused all attention to shift from Shinjiro to Shiki.

Sakumo's smile waned as he just stared at Shiki, blinking a few times before saying, " _Oh_ …well, hello."

"…'lo…" Shiki felt her face heating up from embarrassment over how quiet her voice was. She almost wanted to hide behind her father's leg… _almost_.

"So…the Academy?" Sakumo asked Shinjiro.

"Correct," was all Shinjiro said before he turned to Dai and Gai. "And you two…?"

Dai started laughing rather boisterously while Gai seemed a bit uncomfortable, most because of what came out of his father's mouth right after. "I apologize for the misconception, but as you can see—"

"His son flunked the entrance exam," Kakashi interrupted Dai.

Shiki stared at Kakashi for a moment before narrowing her eyes at him.  _"Yeah, you're definitely a little shit."_

And everyone was going to have to put up with it for the next eight to nine years.

"You're being rude again, Kakashi!" Sakumo was quick to scold Kakashi, who just seemed apathetic as he crossed his arms.

"Pardon, but I thought only civilians were required to take the entrance exam…?" Shinjiro sounded slightly perplexed.

Dai grinned widely as he gave Shinjiro a thumbs-up. "That's because we're a special case! Right, Gai?"

Gai paused for a moment to think before strike a similar pose as his father. "That's right!"

Shiki stared wide-eyed at the Maito father-son duo.  _"It's like staring into the future."_

Though, the same could be said about Sakumo and Kakashi…in appearance, anyways. Of course, Kakashi will always have his face covered up by that mask…

…

"Pfft…heheh." Just knowing what was underneath that mask made Shiki unable to suppress a giggle.

"There's nothing funny about this, you know," Kakashi suddenly said, his gaze focused on Shiki.

Shiki stopped laughing almost immediately, her body tensing as her pulse quickened. She almost thought Kakashi had read her mind…then he continued speaking.

"Not only did he flunk the entrance exam, but he can't even use ninjutsu." Tact was something young Kakashi lacked…as well as some decent manners, since Gai was right  _there_.

"Kakashi!" Sakumo was appalled. "You're never going to make friends at this rate!"

"But it's true…" was all Kakashi said.

…

…

"And?" Shiki found herself saying out loud. She hadn't really meant to speak at all, as she wanted nothing to do with this scenario—she just wanted to find Rin. And yet, somehow, she managed to get involved, because Kakashi's current attitude towards Gai and Dai was pissing her off.

She felt her face heating up as everyone looked at her. She was really glad that her attire made it difficult for anyone to see her expressions. It almost made her seem emotionless, but to those who knew better, she was anything but. Swallowing hard, Shiki reached into her pocket and pulled out her inhaler, which she held out for them to all see.

"I have asthma…" Shiki began, her body trembling as she forced herself to speak as steadily as possible. "And I know it is going to be difficult…but I am going to try. And there is nothing wrong with trying."

…

…

" _Oh god, why did I do that?!"_  Shiki was already starting to regret doing what she did. Her heart was pounding so hard within her chest, and she was honestly amazed at how she hadn't dropped her inhaler. She almost felt like crying…then Shinjiro spoke up.

"It would not be the first time someone like Gai-kun has tried to enter the Academy, Kakashi-kun," Shinjiro began. "After all, Dai-san made it in…and if I recall correctly, Kai-san should still be attending the Academy. I assume that is why you and your son are here…am I correct?"

Shiki blinked at this as she finally pocketed her inhaler.  _"Who?"_

"You are correct!" Dai grinned widely. "Today will be her fourth year attending the Academy!"

Gai nodded his head vigorously. "Onee-san can't use ninjutsu either, but she made it in! And if Onee-san can do it, then so can I!"

…

" _Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me."_  Shiki did not sign up for this bullshit. She was expecting curveballs, yes…but not Gai having an older sister—what the hell?!

"You mean there are  _more_  of you?" Kakashi deadpanned.

"That's right!" Dai looked so damn proud of himself, even though what Kakashi had said was clearly not a compliment.

A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of Sakumo's face as he laughed nervously. "Well, as you can see, Kakashi…you shouldn't underestimate others like that."

Kakashi said nothing and only closed his eyes when his father patted him on the head.

"Anyways, you sure have raised a fine child, Shinjiro-san," Sakumo remarked as he looked at Shinjiro and Shiki. "I can only hope that our boys will get along."

…

…

" _What?"_  Shiki made a face as she stared at Sakumo.  _"Did he just…?"_

"I would have similar feelings, but there seems to be a problem with your wording," Shinjiro stated. "While on any other occasion, you might have been right, but Shiki is female."

"Oh…" was all Sakumo said, his smile wavering slightly as he realized his mistake. "That's a nice name."

An awkward silence ensued after that and Shiki found herself unable to even. She was just so done. She had never wanted to be part of this conversation—she just wanted to find Rin. And with the way the conversation had progressed, Shiki had found her opening.

"I need to leave—Rin-san is waiting for me." Shiki made sure to excuse herself as politely as she could, before walking off without her father. The result of her actions caused Shinjiro to opt out as well, leaving Sakumo and Dai to finish their previous conversation.

It didn't take long after that for Shiki to find Rin, who was with her mother and father. And while Shiki and Rin took the time to catch up, Rin's parents had a somewhat awkward time trying to acquaint themselves with Shinjiro.

Then Sakumo dropped by, with Kakashi, to finish the conversation he had started with Shinjiro. While he was at it, he took the time to introduce Kakashi, in hopes of helping his son make some friends. As a result, Shiki found herself staring at Kakashi, who stared right back, leaving poor Rin confused as to why Shiki and Kakashi were so quiet.

Eventually, the unofficial staring contest between Shiki and Kakashi came to an end when a Chuunin instructor started calling out for new Academy students to line up. Shiki took the opportunity to grab onto Rin's hand and drag them away from Kakashi, leaving the silver-haired boy somewhat confused as to what had just happened. Rin was still as confused, but didn't say anything. And Shiki was just relieved to be away from Kakashi.

Of course, it was not meant to last. The reason the Chuunin instructor had students line up was to assign each of them to a class and while Shiki was among the first to have her name called out, her surname being Aburame, she soon found herself face-to-face with Kakashi. It was just Shiki's luck to find out she was in the same class as Hatake Kakashi before Nohara Rin.

"It seems we meet again." Oh god, now he was  _talking_  to her.

"I-Indeed…" Shiki managed to say.  _"Smooth."_

The two said nothing to each other after that and while Kakashi seemed rather calm about his situation, Shiki was the opposite. She just felt so awkward around Kakashi because of what she had done earlier at the front of the Academy. And Kakashi just seemed so nonchalant, it was pissing her off—why was he calm, and she wasn't?!

As time passed, Shiki did find out that Nohara Rin was in her class…but not before finding out that Morino Ibiki was as well and right after Rin, Sarutobi Asuma, Uchiha Obito (where the hell was he?), and Yūhi Kurenai. It was not exactly a good time for Shiki to find herself amongst a number of familiar faces. Apart from them, Shiki was aware that there was a Hyuuga, two Inuzuka, and a Nara in her class. Everyone else was from a civilian family, an orphan, or from a clan that Shiki didn't recognize—all of which made up a majority of the class. It was quite a diverse class overall…but Shiki was still inwardly freaking about the familiar faces.

" _God_ _ **dammit**_ _…"_  Shiki wasn't even  _trying_  and somehow, she managed to get involved.

Just as Shiki thought her day couldn't get any more eventful, Uchiha Obito suddenly came dashing into the courtyard, causing quite the spectacle.

All attention was on Obito as he loudly announced, "Uchiha Obito is here!"

It was quite obvious that Obito was late, but not late enough to miss out on class assignments. He was lucky, too, because Shimura Nene, the Chuunin instructor to those in his class, was about ready to lead everyone into the Academy building. Shimura Nene, by the way, was a fourteen-year-old female Chuunin of average height with short, black hair and brown eyes. The most distinctive feature about her was the X-shaped scar on her face.

Nene had a rather defining characteristic of being passionate about what she was doing, which was teaching, never mind that it was her first year doing so and that she was the youngest of her colleagues. Along with that, as everyone quickly found out, was her immense annoyance with those who were late as she pelted Obito's forehead with chalk. Her aim had been so precise that it managed to strike the small area of Obito's forehead that wasn't covered up by the goggles he wore.

As Obito clutched his forehead with both hands, wincing in pain from the hit, Nene casually said, "And  **that**  is what happens when you are late to my classes."

At that moment, it became apparent to everyone how someone as young as Nene managed to become a Chuunin instructor and that she was not a force to be reckoned with. No one laughed—no one  _dared_. And with a smug look on her face, Nene- _sensei_  ordered her class to follow her into the Academy.

With that, classes had officially begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone ask for an order of world building, with a side order of OCs?! :D
> 
> Anyways, I'm pretty sure a lot of you guys were expecting the eventual Hatake Kakashi meet up…but not a surprise Maito OC! Yeah…her name is Maito Kai and she is in fact Gai's older sister. Ahaha, I love it when I surprise the fuck out of my SI OCs, like…they think they know everything about the characters they're familiar with…but then I'm all surprise OC! No one ever expects the OC Inquisition!
> 
> That aside, if any of you guys are wondering, yes, Nene is part of that Shimura clan and just to be more specific, she is Shimura Danzō's daughter (if Hiruzen can have like three sons, then Danzō can have a daughter). Fortunately, she's not of his extreme mindset when it comes to the good of Konoha. That has been your OC background of the day, so let's move onto something else!
> 
> So yeah, Shinjiro loves his daughter a lot that he worries about her. He's an overprotective parent, but he knows he needs to give Shiki her space, but he still worries (and with good reason). Meanwhile with Shiki, she's had quite the awkward meeting with Kakashi, she's not too sure about Gai, and she's pretty much realizing that her existence alone is doing something. By the by, while Ibiki, Kurenai, and Asuma are like a year older, recall that the minimum is five years old. A first year student can be from four to five to even six years old when they first enter.
> 
> Anyways, Shiki does not hold any grudges against Obito, because really, he could have gotten hurt. Kikaichū are only harmless to their hosts. Everyone else is fair game and recall how much more defensive kikaichū are with a female host. With that out of that way, don't expect Shiki and Obito to be mad or resentful towards each other. If anything, you can expect their second encounter to be awkward as fuck—emphasis on the awkward.
> 
> Speaking of awkward, that is how Shiki feels around Kakashi, who kept popping up each time she tried to avoid him in this chapter. I find it hilarious, to be honest.
> 
> Anyways, that's about it for now, I've set the stage for the next arc, which is Academy life. I can already see the fun times that will occur and please keep in mind that my definition of fun is flexible, ahahaha… So until next time, everyone!


	7. Lunch

The first day of classes was exactly as how Shiki's cousins had described it. It was just an introductory day, spent going over the rules, lesson objectives for the year, and the schedules. The first half of classes was dedicated to academics, while the second half was dedicated to physical education and the like. The only difference between what Shiki's cousins had said and what Nene-sensei made a specific point of emphasizing was that many students were not going to make it past the first year.

"So if you want to advance, don't slack off!" Nene-sensei said before throwing a chalkboard eraser at a dozing student. "You hear that, Nara Daen?!"

Daen stared lazily at Nene-sensei, not even batting an eye to what she had just done. Still, he listened and kept a slightly more attentive posture than before. After all, even though it was only her first day, Nene-sensei had already memorized each and every one of her students' names. She meant business and by now, everyone knew that.

" _This is going to be an interesting year…"_  Shiki couldn't help but think as she tried to keep herself from looking elsewhere but the front of the classroom. It was extremely difficult, considering she kept wanting to look at Obito, who had sat way at the back on the other side of the room, opposite of where she sat with Rin.

Meanwhile with Kakashi, his choice in seating was to sit as close as possible next to Shiki, thus sandwiching her in between both him and Rin. The guy just didn't want to leave her alone and it was getting on her nerves. And what  _still_  pissed her off was how indifferent he seemed about the entire thing. He didn't even bother to say a word to her, which was honestly  _rude_.

" _I'm onto you, you little shit…"_  Shiki narrowed her eyes at Kakashi, only to quickly turn her head away when he caught her staring. He always seemed to  _know_  when she was staring at him, even though, to anyone else, it would have seemed as though Shiki was staring out the window, because she decided she wanted to sit next to the windows, never mind that it was going to possibly distract the crap out of her. Then again, she had her kikaichū, but even so, she knew better.

It could have been worse, had Kakashi not beat her to the seat directly next to the windows. At least with him in the way, Shiki was able to stay completely focused on Nene-sensei. Still, having Kakashi sitting to her left was as worse as it could get, considering she still felt awkward around the boy.

" _Oh god, I still can't believe I did that…"_  Shiki was extremely glad that she was lucky enough to be in the same class as Rin and not just Kakashi. Otherwise, her current situation could have been even  _more_  awkward.

Fortunately, for Shiki, Kakashi decided to leave her the fuck alone once Nene-sensei let her entire class out for lunch. Shiki couldn't help but sigh in relief as she and Rin made their way out of the Academy. The Academy, as simple as it looked on the outside, was a mess to traverse through on the inside, due to the way the building was structured, in order to prevent unwanted guests from forcibly entering the building with ease.

When Nene-sensei had lead her class into the building, she made it a point to teach everyone about the subtle markers marking the hallways. She didn't want any of her students getting lost, after all. And with all the advice Shiki had gotten from her relatives, she and Rin made it out of the Academy building without getting lost.

Once they were outside, it was there that Shiki realized how quick the other students were to form their own groups and socialize with one another. Meanwhile with her, she was still with Rin…and she was  _happy_. That was all that mattered to her.

"Otou-san made extra for me to share with you, Rin-san!" Shiki was quick to pull out the sealing scroll her father had given her, which contained the bento he had made for her.

Rin started giggling as she pulled out a sealing scroll of her own. "Well, Kaa-san made extra for me to share with you."

That was an unexpected outcome…but it was enough to make the two girls laugh. A few minutes passed before they calmed down.

"So what are we going to do?" Shiki was quick to ask.

"We could share with Kakashi-kun," Rin suggested.

Only four years old, and Shiki could already tell that Rin was on her way to developing a crush on Kakashi. At least, that was what Shiki thought until Rin continued speaking.

"He looks like he wants to be your friend." Shiki nearly choked on her spit when she heard Rin say that.

"H-How?!" Shiki sputtered. She was at a loss to how Rin even came to such a conclusion. "I mean…I am confused."

Rin giggled. "He sat next to you, didn't he?"

"He has not been quite sociable." Shiki knew that for a fact and that is what irritated her about Kakashi. "And he is rather rude."

Rin thought for a moment. "Hmm…maybe he's just shy, like you."

" _Kakashi? Shy?"_  Shiki almost scoffed at the thought. Shy was not something Shiki would describe Hatake Kakashi as…unless it involved him having to read a specific entry from the  _Icha Icha_ series out loud, but Kakashi was an adult then. This Kakashi was only four, going on five…and he was a little shit who underestimated someone like Gai, who would eventually become his rival.

Of course, Kakashi didn't know that and…Gai had an older sister that Shiki knew nothing about, because, apparently, there had been  _more_  to what she thought she knew originally, when it pertained to characters…like Maito Gai. If Gai had an older sister, then it wouldn't be unlikely for Kakashi to have been shy during his first year at the Academy. There was also the fact that Kakashi had a complete personality change after his father's death, which had yet to happen.

Hell, Rin could be right…maybe Kakashi  _was_  shy like Shiki.

…

" _Shit."_  Shiki realized that would mean Kakashi would feel most comfortable in the presence of someone familiar. And if Kakashi's definition of familiar was someone who was in his presence for more than seven minutes, then Shiki just so happened to fit that. Though, that would also mean the same for Gai, but Gai wasn't attending the Academy (yet), so that just left Shiki on her own. _"Is that why he won't leave me alone?!"_

That just felt unfair for Shiki, because while Kakashi probably felt more at ease around her (to an extent), it was the complete opposite for her. At least now, she had a better understanding of the situation…

"I guess you may have a point…" Shiki finally decided to give Rin's statement a response. "Though, I think that sharing our lunches with him is something we cannot do—not when his location is unknown to us."

Shiki was quite aware that she could come off as awkward, due to the manner in which she spoke. If she wanted to, she could speak more casually, but after growing up around the Aburame clan, who are quite formal in mannerisms and communication…casual felt awkward to her. She was just not used to it, much like how she wasn't used to being outside of her clan's compound. On a more positive note, she now understood why Shino talked the way he had in the series. She was only glad that Rin wasn't put off by this, as her parents had been when Shiki had talked to them.

"Yeah, Kakashi-kun did leave the minute Nene-sensei let us out for lunch…" Rin shrugged. "Let's just eat, then…"

"Okay." Shiki couldn't help but smile.

…

…

As time passed, Shiki was able to catch a glimpse of how many others were in her year. In regards to students who were from clans that Shiki recognized, there were certainly a lot more Hyuuga, as well as Inuzuka. She wasn't too sure about the Nara, though she could tell there were a few Akimichi and possibly a Yamanaka. Uchiha, on the other hand, were plenty and it was upon spotting their little social group that Shiki finally noticed Obito.

Obito wasn't exactly socializing with those of his clan. He was just sitting on his own, watching his relatives interact from a small distance. What had caught Shiki's attention was that Obito wasn't eating—in fact, he didn't seem to have anything on him. While it wasn't any of Shiki's business to get involved, the fact that both she and Rin had extra food on them was something she couldn't forget.

"U-Um…" Shiki was struggling to find the right words to say to Rin. She had no idea what to say. All she knew was that she wanted to see if Rin was fine with sharing their lunches with Obito.

Rin looked questioningly at Shiki. "Hmm?"

"Ahh…" Shiki felt her face heat up as she hesitantly directed Rin's attention to Obito. "Uchiha-san…?"

Rin blinked a few times before a smile crossed her lips. "Obito-kun? You want to go to him?"

Shiki found her opening. "Y-Yes! Extra food, remember?"

"So that's what it is!" Rin understood. "How about you go on ahead?"

At that moment, Shiki wished she hadn't gotten full so quickly, because Rin was still eating and therefore, needed time to seal up her bento. Meanwhile with Shiki, she had already did that the instant she had felt full, which had happened a few minutes ago. Swallowing hard, Shiki nodded her head and stood up.

" _Let's fucking do this!"_  She needed to be bold. She needed to actually  _do_  something. She…needed  _help_!  _"Oh god, please don't mess up!"_

With a pounding heart and hesitant steps, Shiki slowly made her way towards Obito.

…

…

* * *

_Growl._

Obito made a face when he heard his stomach growl for the umpteenth time. He really wished he hadn't been so pressed for time this morning. It was just his luck that his alarm clock's batteries had to die on him, hours before it was meant to go off. If it hadn't been for that, Obito wouldn't have left his wallet in his haste to leave his apartment as soon as possible.

He did at least consider himself fortunate that he wasn't  _that_  late during the class assignment process. He would rather have his forehead pelted with chalk any day, than having to maneuver through the Academy on his own, because his relatives were assholes in withholding information that could prove useful to him.

" _Speaking of assholes…"_  Obito narrowed his eyes at his relatives, who had grouped up together during lunch. He wasn't that surprised that they left him out. He was never surprised, because that was how the Uchiha usually acted toward children like him.

In the Uchiha clan, one either had a family that acknowledged them from birth, or was ignored by the rest of the clan. Obito just so happened to be the youngest of the Uchiha that were ignored by the rest of the clan and it would stay that way until either he or the rest of those who were like him showed desirable progress. Desirable progress, as defined by the Uchiha clan as a whole, was nothing less than perfection, an activated Sharingan, and a well-executed Goukakyuu.

Obito was only five and the most he had been able to do was an extremely weak version of the Goukakyuu. It wasn't that much of an impressive fireball, but it was enough to earn him recognition from his clan as an adult and the Uchiha clan crest he now wore on the back of his haori. Apart from that, Obito was mostly ignored and the only time he received noteworthy attention was when he was given his own apartment and a weekly allowance, all of which had occurred a couple of months ago.

Obito had been looking forward for the day he would enter the Academy. He had plans…but so far, his first day of class hasn't been that eventful. Nor has it been pleasant, considering the bad luck he had this morning. Though, what still bothered him were yesterday's events. He wanted to apologize…he  _really_  wanted to apologize…

But Obito couldn't even bring himself to find the Aburame he had called, "Gross."

Obito blamed it on the rumors he heard. He also blamed it on the mean prank his asshole cousins played on him, involving a jar of random insects. He also blamed it on himself, for letting it get to him. After all, it wasn't fair for that Aburame and Obito knew that. He knew it very well and so did that girl who had been so nice to him, despite his actions.

Obito felt just as bad for making that girl sad. And knowing that those two were his classmates just made it all the more awkward for him. He just didn't know where to begin with the apology he wanted to make.

_Growl._

Obito's left eye twitched. The minute classes were over, he was going to rush over to his apartment in the Uchiha district and buy himself as much food as he could eat in a sitting. He could only hope that the next half of class wouldn't last too long. It was only the first day of classes…

"You hungry?" Obito felt his cheeks heat up upon hearing someone ask him that question. That meant they had  _heard_  his stomach growl. "I-I have extra food if you want…"

_Growl._

Obito's face was now as red as a tomato. He refused to turn around to face the person who was talking to him and instead, responded with a stubborn, "It's fine!"

It was embarrassing enough as is that someone had heard his stomach growl and Obito's pride wasn't exactly going to let him easily take someone else's charity.

"Y-You are not going to get past the second half of class if you do not eat, Uchiha-san." Obito's left eye twitched for the second time. He really preferred not to be referred to by his clan's name.

"That's  _Obito_!" None of that Uchiha crap, Obito added mentally as he continued to avert his gaze. He wanted to be acknowledged by who he was as a person, and not just someone from the Uchiha clan.

"Well, Obito-kun…I am Aburame Shiki!" And that was when Obito suddenly froze. Slowly, he turned his head, his pulse quickening when his eyes immediately focused on a very familiar face.

Black hair, white jacket, and goggles…it was that Aburame and—that kid was a girl?! Obito had assumed that the kid who had bumped into him was male, not female, because of the well-known fact that there weren't many females in the Aburame clan. Now he felt even  _worse_  for what had happened the other day.

Though…why was she holding out an open bento box toward him? Obito felt rather awkward as he stared at Shiki. She just stared right back at him and even though Obito could barely read her expression, he noticed that she was blushing. Her pale skin really made that obvious…probably as much as his did, which was  _why_  he preferred to hide his face whenever he was blushing. Speaking of blushing, he was doing that again.

" _Dammit…"_  And yet, Obito was unable to force himself to look away as his face reddened even more.

Neither of the two said anything. They just continued to stare at each other. This went on for about a minute or two until Obito's stomach growled yet again. That was when Shiki suddenly grabbed an onigiri from the bento box and yelled, "Just take it!" before stuffing it into Obito's mouth.

Obito was on the verge of freaking out at that moment, because he  _swore_  he could have seen Shiki's kikaichū crawling on her skin. At the same time, he wanted to cry because of how  _good_  that onigiri tasted. Hunger quickly convinced him to accept the food and ignore the fact that his mind was screaming at him to get away from kikaichū-covered Shiki.

Just as Obito had started chewing, with Shiki watching him nervously (he could see that she was trembling), another familiar face from yesterday showed up in the form of that girl who had looked at him with a sad face. She was smiling this time around and the way she had managed to pop up so suddenly without him noticing her, almost made him choke on the food in his mouth.

* * *

…

…

"Did he say yes?!" Rin looked expectantly at Shiki, who had frozen still for some reason. She didn't get a response from the Aburame, so she turned to Obito. Upon noticing a couple of grains of rice sticking to his face, Rin made the assumption that Obito had said yes. Of course, he didn't say anything, either.

And when it came to Rin's attention a minute later that both Obito and Shiki weren't going to do anything else besides staring at her and staying quiet, she sighed. She had hoped these two were going to talk about what happened yesterday and come to an understanding. She should have known that it wasn't going to be easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like world building and character interactions, because that is what this chapter is all about! Yeah…on a side note, check out the awesome new cover for this story, done once again by the awesome UnstableFable: http://ladybbloodraws.tumblr.com/post/122627640317/ah-shit-i-forgot-to-crop-it-down-but-oh-well#permalink-notes
> 
> Anyways, as you can see, Shiki and Obito are extremely awkward around each other. And poor Rin has to deal with it, as she just wants to make sure the two aren't on bad terms. Despite what Rin had said, she still had some hope that Obito would apologize for what he did. She was quite happy to at least see that Shiki didn't hold a grudge against Obito.
> 
> And then there's Kakashi, who is surprisingly shy, in his own way. Like…he's only four-years-old and as skilled as he probably is, his people skills are lacking and it shows. Anyways, I should probably say it now before anything, but I'm going to be going a bit slow when it comes to this story's progress. I like focusing on character and story development first before going into the action, so just keep that in mind.
> 
> That's about it for this chapter! Chances are, I'm probably gonna get back to work on Gone Fishing, so the consistent updates I kept for this story are probably gonna come to a stop, so it was good while it lasted! Seriously though, six to seven updates in a row is honestly good a good week in my book. So until next time, everyone!


	8. Progress

The rest of lunchtime was rather quiet between Shiki, Rin, and Obito. Obito would hesitantly reach out to grab an onigiri from the bento Shiki held out, while Rin just marveled in the sight of how awkward these two could be. Watching from a distance, going completely unnoticed, was Kakashi, just observing the interactions Shiki made with the others. He barely knew her, but their fathers knew each other and that was all that mattered to him at the moment.

Kakashi never knew how difficult it could be to act around others, outside of what his father had taught him. He wasn't too aware that words could hurt until Shiki stood up to him and Gai took his negativity and turned it into positivity. What he  _was_  aware of, was that Gai could eventually become his rival and Shiki could possibly become his friend—assuming his father was right.

" _Friend…"_  Kakashi never had any friends. He just had his father. He used to have a mother…but he barely could even remember anything about her, aside from what his father told him and the pictures he had of her, Hatake Sadako.

Now, his only chance of making any friends was at the Academy…or so his father told him. Sakumo was really keen on Kakashi making friends, when Kakashi didn't see much of a purpose to it…until he realized how alone he was amongst the crowd of Academy students this morning. It didn't bother him the other day, but that was before Sakumo sat him down to talk about how to approach his first day of school.

Even now, Kakashi didn't know how to approach the situation. He wasn't too sure if he even wanted friends. He just wanted to get through the Academy as fast as he could, so he could join his father on his missions. That's all he wanted to do, because he was tired of the babysitters that sometimes watched over him whenever his father got called up to go on missions.

Kakashi thought things would be easy. Training with his father had been, but now, Kakashi didn't know anymore, now that he met someone like Gai and Dai. Kakashi never took his training lightly and now, he was afraid to, after seeing the rough shape Gai's hands and feet were in from what appeared to be rigorous training.

" _Is that how my hands will be?"_  Kakashi found himself looking at his own hands, which were still rather fine, if soft, as opposed to his father's calloused hands. They were rough, but Kakashi always found something comforting in them whenever he held them with his own hands.

Eventually, lunch came to an end and if there was one thing Kakashi had managed to gather from his observations, it was that Shiki, Obito, and Rin had not made any progress. Obito was still a nervous mess around Shiki, Shiki was quite the same, and Rin was trying to figure out a way to bridge the gap between the two. This was what friendship appeared to Kakashi so far, and it was strange.

" _Do I really need to make friends?"_  Kakashi wondered before quickly realizing that Shiki was starting to move from her spot. While Kakashi still had yet to figure out his thoughts on friendship, he at least knew that he wanted to be around Shiki. After all, she was the only person he knew so far, and until Gai somehow made it into the Academy, it would stay that way until Kakashi grew accustomed to the sea of unfamiliar faces.

* * *

…

…

Physical education came after lunch and it was the class that worried Shiki the most. She kept her hands in her pocket, her right clasped over her inhaler. Nene-sensei was currently instructing everyone over what to expect during this specific class period. Stretching was a basic fundamental that would be done at the start before the rest of the class period continued, as to prevent anyone from pulling any muscles. A certain amount of laps around the field would come afterward, which seemed rather huge for most, when Shiki knew for a fact that the distance would gradually increase with each year, as the laps piled up throughout the year. Now, it seemed impossible for some to even run ten laps. Shiki knew she could do it, but she had to be careful as to not strain herself too much to trigger an attack. She didn't worry too much for what would come afterwards, which was pushups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and the like (plus even  _more_  stretching to aid flexibility), even if Shiki despised any of aforementioned exercises. It would at least be easier to get by without being noticed by the other students.

According to Shiki's cousins, running was probably the hardest, with what came afterwards being just as difficult. But what Shiki was told that most students failed to realize was that effort was valued over proficiency, so a student could be lagging behind everyone else, but so long as the student continued to move on forward, they received a pass. Knowing this, Shiki could very well get through running without any hassles, so long as she kept going.

It was going to be rough, but Shiki would prevail! And Shiki  _really_  wished Rin and Obito hadn't run so fast at the start! She had expected Obito to run ahead, since he was still uncomfortable being near her, but Rin was a huge surprise. She was at least doing a better job at keeping up with Obito, for reasons Shiki couldn't tell, as Shiki was too busy trying to ignore the fact that Kakashi was  _back_.

" _God dammit, Kakashi, leave me alone!"_  Shiki bit her lip when she saw Kakashi jogging at a pace that was not too fast, but not too slow. He was close by, but not at her side. He was just close enough to just be a few steps ahead of her, while she was stuck behind him.

At the start, Shiki was at the very end of everyone else as they ran their ten laps. As time passed by, Shiki was no longer last, as students began to fall behind her. These students were mostly those from civilian families, not very well accustomed to the exercise, which, to them, was quite strenuous on their bodies. Others were children who wanted to be the very first to finish (a mixture between children from civilian and shinobi families), only to end up wasting whatever energy they had by sprinting ahead instead of setting a reasonable pace for themselves. And a very few were just very lazy students, of which Shiki could make out Nara Daen. While Shiki wasn't that aware of the Nara family tree, she had a feeling that Nara Daen was a direct relative of the future Nara Shikamaru.

By the time Shiki had finished running all ten laps, Rin had met up with her, Obito fell somewhat behind due to exhaustion, and Kakashi was still  _there_. Still, it could have been worse and Shiki was just glad she was she wasn't tired. A bit winded, maybe, but otherwise fine…though she did need a couple of puffs from her inhaler, but that was as a precaution because Kakashi  _finally_  spoke to her, saying her breathing sounded weird.

" _I didn't think he'd be able to hear…"_  Shiki felt her face heat up as she pocketed her inhaler. She bit her lip when she realized Kakashi  _saw_. "Wh-What do you want?!"

Kakashi just blinked before turning diverting his eyes to the side as he looked at Obito and Rin.

"Come on, Obito—you need to get up!" Rin said as she tugged on Obito's arm as he lied back on the ground. "Obito!"

_Thud!_

Shiki stifled a laugh that wanted to escape her mouth when she saw Rin fall onto the ground after losing her footing while she had been tugging on Obito's arm. It just seemed so comical to Shiki, especially since Rin didn't seemed too bothered, if a bit annoyed with Obito's persistence on lying on the ground.

"You're heavy," was all Rin said after Obito asked with a sluggish, "You okay?"

Shiki wasn't sure how exactly Obito felt about Rin, as opposed to how he felt in canon…but from the looks of it, the two were at least friends. Shiki felt content, if slightly envious because Obito still kept his distance from her, but she wouldn't blame him. Obito just didn't seem to like bugs at all.

" _I wonder what happened for him to hate bugs…"_  Shiki couldn't help but think. When it came to experiences that made her hate certain insects (or at least be extremely wary of them), the wasp that got caught up her dress's skirt and stung her leg many times was one of them. The bee she had grabbed with her  _bare_  hands that she had caught during one summer in Mexico was another. And while she had many,  _many_  annoying experiences with ants, one that stood out the most was when, according to a cousin, Shiki thought of this  _brilliant_  idea to feed the ants. Long story short, Shiki ended up getting bit and once again, that situation happened while she was in Mexico. Still on the topic of Mexico, Shiki recalled getting eaten alive by mosquitoes that just loved the taste of her blood.

…

" _I have too many bug stories from Mexico…"_  Shiki was at least glad they didn't involve arachnids, because she would have  _flipped the fuck out_  if she ever encountered a scorpion—because they were a bit of a problem in Mexico.

…

…

_I'm gonna help Rin out._

Shiki just wanted to get her mind off her past life and maybe join in on the fun that was getting Obito off the ground—which worked  _marvelously_  when she did it. Because once Obito registered that it was  _Shiki_  who was touching him, he got up and backed away from her. While Shiki could have felt offended, she just laughed because of  _how_  Obito reacted—almost like an insect scuttling away after being nudged. Even Rin couldn't help but giggle a little.

Meanwhile with Kakashi, he just stared at Obito as the Uchiha checked his being for any kikaichū. When it came to Obito's attention that Kakashi was staring at him, Obito scowled at the silver-haired boy.

"What're you looking at?!" Obito was obviously trying to shrug off whatever freak out he had.

Kakashi just blinked and said, "Nene-sensei is going to start the next exercise."

And that was everyone's cue to stop messing around.

…

Shiki made a face when she found out Kakashi was going to be her workout buddy for the next exercises. She was quite glad that Kakashi didn't know what sort of expression she was making, but the same also seemed to apply to him as he started at her with eyes devoid of any particular emotion.

"Do you want to start first so you can rest when it's my turn?" The fact that Kakashi was the one to suggest that to Shiki was honestly mindboggling, if sweet because Kakashi actually seemed to take her asthma into consideration.

" _Holy shit, what the hell happened?"_  Shiki felt her face heat up as she nodded her head in response.

There was just something surreal about Kakashi holding down her feet as he counted each sit-up she did. The same feeling still applied when the two of them switched places. Of course, Shiki couldn't help but narrow her eyes at how much faster Kakashi had been able to finish  _his_  set of sit-ups.

On the bright side, Rin seemed to be having the time of her life encouraging Obito to keep moving. Obito, who was having trouble by the time he did fifteen sit-ups, when Rin finished without any problems. There was just something comedic of seeing a five-year-old boy get told by a four-year-old girl, who was  _shorter_  than he was, to, "Suck it up."

Not that Rin actually said that, but she might as well have said it.

"He's doing very badly for someone who's from the Uchiha clan…" And there went Kakashi, reverting back to his tactless ways of making comments.

"S-Screw off, H-Hatake!" Obito snapped as he completed his twentieth sit-up.

Shiki blinked a few times and gently tapped Kakashi on the back of his head, saying, "That's not nice."

The wide-eyed look Kakashi gave Shiki almost made her regret what she had done. In fact, she wasn't even thinking—why did she even do that?!

" _Shit!"_  Shiki just wanted to crawl into a hole and maybe die, or at least stay out of sight for a number of years…

Though, what Kakashi did next made Shiki reconsider when he suddenly told Obito, "Sorry."

Obito might have looked unimpressed when Kakashi apologized to him, but he at least managed to respond back with a disgruntled, "It's fine…"

Shiki blinked again and looked at Rin, who just smiled at her. It was really strange, but now Shiki felt awkward about her actions. If it managed to get Kakashi to apologize to Obito, just what else could they do?

…

" _I need to be more careful…"_  Of course, that probably required Shiki to be a little less impulsive, which was most likely going to be her biggest problem.  _"At least I'm not causing trouble."_

For that, Shiki was completely grateful because she had a reputation for being a troublemaker during her childhood days in her past life. Those anger management classes she took back them were rather hard to forget, but she was quite pleased to see she had a better grip on her temper as Aburame Shiki. It probably had to do with her upbringing…not that Shiki was complaining.

What she  _felt_  like complaining about was doing pushups. And with Kakashi at her side, effortlessly doing pushup after pushup while she struggled to an extent…Shiki felt annoyed, but she refrained from saying anything. Instead, she focused her attention back on Obito and Rin and it  _still_  amused her to see Rin doing much better than Obito.

Though, it did bring up a question, in regards to what Kakashi had said about Obito doing bad for someone from the Uchiha clan. The question being if Obito even got the training his relatives had. With how alone Obito had been, in comparison to his relatives during lunchtime, Shiki was a bit concerned with what went on at the Uchiha District. Shiki at least knew that Obito grew up without knowing his own parents, but he at least had to have some relatives caring for him…right?

Shiki frowned as she sat down on the grass, currently resting from the pushups she had done. She watched as Rin congratulated Obito for making it to the end, even though there was still so much to be done. Obito seemed so content, despite being a sweaty, panting mess. He seemed so content because someone was  _acknowledging_  his efforts.

Shiki knew the Uchiha clan had issues, but she was only familiar with what she had read about in the manga. And from what she had learned, through somewhat shocking means, was that there was more to this world than what was shown in canon. Besides, there had to be reasons as to  _why_  Uzumaki Naruto was compared numerous times to Obito.

While Obito was no jinchuuriki that earned an entire village's animosity because of the Kyuubi that harbored inside, he still shared many similarities to Naruto. They even looked alike, save for the differing hair colors and the fact that Obito was an Uchiha. The colors they even wore were the same…at first. Naruto once wore orange with blue, while Obito wore blue with orange—it was quite the inversion that Shiki had once pointed out to her friends while getting her ass kicked while playing as Young Kakashi against Young Obito in a Naruto game.

Shiki barely managed to stifle a laugh when she recalled the rather ironic Ultimate Jutsu Finish she received from Obito. She had so many fun time playing those games with her friends. She even recalled how excited she got to the point where her heart was beating so fast from the excitement. And while she missed taking names by using a guy that used only bubbles as his weapon (she had never seen her friend get so salty over a defeat), she was content that she had a good amount of memories that she made with her friends in her past life.

Though, Shiki's memories did remind her of the future rivalry between Kakashi and Obito. She wasn't too sure if the rivalry had enough foundation just yet, but she could faintly make out the slight jealousy Obito had as he watched Rin extend the same kind of treatment she had shown him to Kakashi. It was still too early to consider it a crush, but it was at least apparent that Obito had grown quite taken to the attention Rin showed him.

Naruto had his pranks, but Obito had his displays of kindness… Thinking of that now, Shiki realized that Obito was most likely used to being acknowledged only when he helped others out. To receive acknowledgement for something other than that must have opened other possibilities for him to explore. Of course, this was under the assumption that Obito already made a habit of helping out others—the elderly, especially.

Shiki still didn't know too much about this Obito just yet. She wanted to, though…she  _really_  wanted to. It was such a strong feeling, too, even though Shiki couldn't figure out why. Maybe…it was just Shiki's desire to make friends that influenced such a strong feeling. Shiki wasn't too sure.

What she  _was_  sure of, however, was that she most definitely wanted to protect the potential future that made up Obito's vision, when he confronted Naruto during the Fourth Shinobi World War. Rin would be part of it, of course…because Shiki wasn't going to let Rin die.

It was not because her death had such an impact on Obito, though it was partially. But now, it was also because Rin was Shiki's friend. And like her family, Shiki wanted to protect her friends as well. Shiki wanted to protect the life in Rin's eyes, the gentleness the girl extended towards others, and the bonds she forged and supported. A life without Rin was honestly terrifying.

Because now Shiki knew how it felt to have such a ray of light in her life—a light that told her everything would be okay, when it most likely wouldn't. Apart from Rin, Shiki had her family as well, but Obito… Obito had no one, from what she had gathered through her observations of him today during lunch. Obito might have been an Uchiha, but it seemed the Uchiha—his relatives at the least—didn't acknowledge him.

As much as Shiki wanted to forget that person, that woman still popped up in mind as she continued to look at Obito. She wondered if Obito was wanted, but considering how problematic the Uchiha clan was, Obito was most likely wanted, but not for the reasons Shiki knew her father, Shinjiro, had. It was probably difficult living with such a clan that could get so easily screwed over by the Curse of Hatred. And then there was the Sharingan…

Uchiha Sarada had showed Shiki that strong, positive emotions were just as capable of activating the Sharingan as the negative emotions that usually plagued most Uchiha when their Sharingan activated. But anything that involved the Mangekyō Sharingan's requirements was beyond Shiki's comprehension that didn't involve what was stated in canon.

Being an Uchiha meant signing up for a lot of term and conditions that just seemed to make life more difficult. Though, the same could probably apply to anyone born into Hyuuga clan, but in different ways, with the clan being separated into two branches. Knowing what could have been, had she not been born into the Aburame clan, made Shiki feel as though she hit the reincarnation jackpot. Sure, things could have been difficult if she had rinkaichū instead of kikaichū, but even then, her rinkaichū host relatives were treated like anyone else in the family, precautious behavior aside, as rinkaichū were still rather dangerous.

…

As the class went by, Shiki continued to think up to the point where she spaced out for brief periods of time, only to get a bit of a wake-up call by Kakashi tapping her on the back of her head. The first time it happened, it caught her by surprise. She was almost worried her kikaichū were going to attack, but the tap hadn't been that hard. In fact, it almost mirrored what she had done to Kakashi earlier.

The second time it happened, Shiki felt annoyed because Kakashi was unknowingly doing a job her kikaichū were just as capable of handling. The third time it happened, Shiki decided she had enough and allowed a couple of her kikaichū to crawl onto Kakashi's hand. She already made it clear that she didn't want them to drain Kakashi of his chakra. She just wanted them to annoy him, which is exactly what they did and when it was Kakashi's turn to do his pull-ups on the bar, he ended up landing flat on his ass after losing his grip.

It was there that Shiki felt extremely awkward when Kakashi walked back to her, very much aware of what she had done.

"S-Sorry…" Shiki apologized sheepishly as she called back her kikaichū from Kakashi. She felt her face heating up as Kakashi continued to stare at her, saying nothing, until…

_Tap!_

"That's not nice." Kakashi's words echoed Shiki's own from earlier.

Shiki's face felt as though it was on fire at this point. She immediately turned to Rin for some reassurance, almost sputtering when Rin, instead, gave Shiki an approving nod and smile. Obito, on the other hand, just kept his distance from Shiki as he made his way over to the bar to do his pull-ups. Shiki would not blame Obito this time around because that was the first time she had  _purposely_  placed her kikaichū on someone.

" _I need to stop doing these things…"_  Shiki sighed. She was at least glad that she no longer felt as awkward around Kakashi as she had been earlier. Though, now she was rather nervous about what he was going to do next, as whatever she had done ended up leaving quite the impression on him.

…

By the time Nene-sensei dismissed her class, everyone was either a sweaty mess or somehow, fine, despite the strenuous workout (for anyone of their age). Shiki was somewhere in between after using her inhaler, with Kakashi and Rin being the same. Obito…fell very much into the former and was having a hard time making his way out of the Academy building.

Shiki felt rather elated to see her father waiting for her outside the Academy building by the tree. Kakashi immediately went on his way to his father, without saying another word. Rin at least said her goodbyes for now as she hurried over to her parents. And Obito…Obito was part of a good chunk of students who didn't have any parents waiting for them. Again, he had his relatives, but they were rather quick to ignore him as they went on their way.

As Shiki watched Obito get left behind, she felt a pang in her chest that didn't want to go away. It hurt to see Obito get left behind by his own family—it hurt even more because Shiki kept remembering that woman. After thinking for a moment, Shiki tugged on her father's sleeve and motioned at him to kneel down to her level, where she then began to whisper into his ear. What Shiki had told Shinjiro caught him completely off-guard, but he nevertheless agreed to what his daughter had suggested he do.

* * *

…

…

Obito was aware that the Academy life wasn't easy. The temptation to give up during those workouts was incredibly high, but Obito kept moving forward…because he wasn't going to let Rin down. She kept cheering him on when he thought he was doing terribly. Even though he hadn't apologized to Shiki, Rin still treated him nicely. It made Obito feel…conflicted.

He was happy that someone was so nice to him, but also, ashamed…because he didn't deserve it. Even Shiki, despite all that he did, didn't seem offended with the things he had done to keep his distance away from her. He didn't like bugs…but that didn't mean he had to extend that dislike towards Shiki, who had shared her lunch with him, even though she didn't have to.

He never even thanked her for the food…so when Shiki and that tall, intimidating man he had seen the other day suddenly approached him, Obito was anxious. Obito was afraid that maybe, Shiki was mad at him because of the way he had treated her… But then that tall man suddenly lifted Obito off the ground and hefted the Uchiha onto his back.

"Shiki told me that you were tired, so she asked if I could help you get home," the man explained. "I apologize if I had caught you by surprise without asking you first."

Obito blinked a few times, his body somewhat tense from the fact that he was  _so close to an Aburame_. He was worried that the man's kikaichū would transfer onto his clothes, as Shiki's had. He was surprised to find that they hadn't and when the man spoke to him again, referring to him as, "Uchiha-san", Obito spoke up.

"I-It's Obito," he corrected.

"Well, Obito-kun…I am Aburame Shinjiro," the man introduced himself. "You seemed to have already met my daughter, Shiki."

It really surprised Obito that this man was Shiki's father, though it made the situation even more awkward because Shinjiro had been the one who carried his daughter off when Obito made that comment the other day. The fact that Obito couldn't tell what expression Shinjiro was making made it even worse.

"I already assume you live in the Uchiha district, but if you could tell me where, I would appreciate it." Just like Shiki, Shinjiro spoke in such a polite manner…when they didn't have to—at least towards Obito.

"I'll tell you when we get there…" It was really difficult for Obito not to freak out, with so many of the rumors he had heard coursing through his head the longer he continued to stay on Shinjiro's back.

Obito hadn't considered it until about fifteen minutes later that he could have had a hard time making his way back home. He knew he was tired, but he didn't think he felt  _this_  exhausted. He was rather jealous of how Shiki managed so well, when he was at least aware that she did this weird thing each time her breathing sounded weird. She had respiratory problems, that's for sure…but she still did better than he did.

It was almost annoying…but not as annoying as that Hatake kid was—that guy  _really_  got on Obito's nerves. The way Rin treated him the same way she did Obito, even though Hatake was a tactless jerk.

…

Obito made a face when he realized he was mad at Hatake for the same reasons he felt conflicted. He was being a…what was that word again? Obito forgot…he forgot a lot of things—not that he would ever admit that out loud. He had his pride…he just wished he could think before he said things.

At this current moment, he was trying his hardest to keep whatever thoughts he had towards insects to himself. Obito was honestly grateful that Shiki and her father were taking him home, when it would have taken him longer to get there on his own. His apartment, after all, was located at the far side of the Uchiha District from the entrance where he and the two Aburame were heading. The Uchiha District, itself, was at the near center of Konoha, with the Academy being a good distance away.

Altogether, it took half an hour to reach the Uchiha District, with an extra twenty minutes spent heading towards the apartment where Obito lived. It was awkward, talking to Shinjiro, giving the man directions when Obito could barely managed to keep his voice from shaking when he spotted a tiny beetle crawling across Shinjiro's shoulders. Shiki seemed to have noticed his distress, suddenly changing the topic to what he thought of classes today.

Obito wasn't that talkative, but he did try his best. And when Shinjiro suddenly asked him about his parents as soon as the three of them arrived at his apartment, Obito nonchalantly replied, "They're dead."

"Ah…do you have any particular likes when it pertains to food?" Shinjiro was using a lot of big words that Obito was having trouble understanding. It also confused him as to why Shinjiro was suddenly asking him about food.

"He just wants to know if you have any favorites," Shiki was rather kind enough to dumb down what her father had said (not that Obito was complaining).

"I like anything, so long as it's good." With the way he lived, Obito didn't have time for favorites. He got what he was able to get…

…

"Ah, S-Shiki?" Obito turned to Shiki, moments after Shinjiro had lowered him onto the ground. It felt strange to say her name…probably because this was the first time Obito had actually spoke to her directly in this manner.

Shiki tilted her head to the side when he suddenly said her name. "Hmm…?"

"Th-Thanks for the food…" Obito could feel his face heating up from embarrassment—embarrassment that came from prolonged gratitude.

And even though her face was mostly concealed behind her hair, collar, and goggles, Obito could tell Shiki was smiling when she said, "You're welcome."

Obito  _really_  needed to apologize to Shiki…she was just as nice to him as Rin. Except, unlike Rin, Shiki had kikaichū and it was increasingly difficult for Obito to keep his mind off of them—especially after what Shiki had done to Hatake. If he could learn more about Shiki, then maybe…Obito could put aside every rumor he heard about the Aburame clan and his dislike for bugs aside.

_Maybe then, saying sorry would be easier…_

Obito could certainly try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet none of you guys were expecting a Kakashi POV, but here you go! I don't know about you guys, but I always seem to have a fun time working with Kakashi. I really didn't expect Kakashi to develop into this sort of character, but that's what happens when you work with characters that you barely understand when they're at a certain age. This is pretty much what happened with four-year-old Sasuke in Butterfly Child. The only difference is that Sasuke had his clan and Itachi, while Kakashi just has his father.
> 
> Sasuke was also much more…outgoing, in a sense, while Kakashi is shy in his own way, so the differences start there. The two are only alike once Sasuke loses his clan and Kakashi loses his father…because the two become arrogant little shits after that.
> 
> Anyways, let's move onto Obito, who's doing a bit better than before and at this point, he does have a phobia of insects. Though, he's more afraid of them getting on him, otherwise, he's very wary of them—kikaichū especially. Obito's at least getting better with realizing his behavior towards Shiki isn't exactly nice.
> 
> And it's still too early to know if Obito has a crush on Rin, but the two are at least on good terms. Meanwhile with Shiki and Kakashi, the two aren't exactly talking a lot, but they are getting along without any difficulties. It doesn't make it any less awkward for Shiki, however, considering she can be a bit of a vindictive little shit when she wants to be. She's at least apologetic about it, unlike Gone Fishing's Mako.
> 
> Also, I don't know about you, but the idea that Rin is in much better shape than Obito and her cheering him on when he's figuratively dying from the workout is hilarious to me. Shiki goes at her own pace, so she doesn't have too much difficulty with her asthma. Oh, and Obito's certainly on his way toward developing a rivalry with Kakashi, as one-sided as it will most likely be.
> 
> By the way, THE SHIPPING GAMES HAVE BEGUN! This amuses me greatly, so please continue and from what I have seen so far, the supported ships are Kakashi/Shiki and Obito/Shiki, but Kakashi has a bit more support. Man, I wonder how this is gonna turn out, since Butterfly Child has a lot of supported ships. Well, only time can tell! So have fun shipping everyone! And if anyone is confused, just know that I have this story posted on my Fanfiction.net account, so whenever I start talking about things that don't happen here, it's happening there.
> 
> Oh, and I do have a lot of experiences with bugs that happened in Mexico and before anyone asks, I wasn't even six for most of these experiences—I was the type of child that learned the hard way about things. Now since I'm on the topic for bug experiences, let me tell you of a more recent experience that wasn't in Mexico, but here at my home in southern California that happened a few days ago as of this update (7-9-15). This experience really shook me up, but it did bring my attention back to this fic. So yeah, I was on my laptop and a fucking cockroach crawled onto the bed and touched my bare leg. You can totally bet that roach got its ass killed, but not without it making me feel nauseous. Just ugh…never again! But that's enough about me.
> 
> That aside, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! That's about it for now, so until next time, everyone!


	9. Familiarize

The next day started off better that the day before. Obito arrived to class on time and sat somewhat closer to where Shiki, Kakashi, and Rin sat in the classroom. Obito was wary of the way Shiki approach him again during lunchtime, since he brought a bento this time with him, having woken up earlier than he would have expected, due to a slight mix-up when he set the time on his alarm clock after changing the batteries. He stared at Shiki as she still offered to share her lunch with him and felt his heart skip a beat when Rin joined them. He didn't know why, but seeing her made the situation better, even though he hated how wary he was of Shiki.

Shiki was a person, not the insects Obito despised. He tried to take his mind off the subject by trying to strike up a conversation with the Aburame and when her cutesy bento caught his eye, he, without even thinking, asked, "Did your mother make that for you?"

Shiki stared at him for a good minute before saying, "I do not have a mother."

With so many different familial situations existing in Konoha that Obito was quite aware of, he wasn't surprised to hear something like that. After all, he told Shiki's father that his parents were dead. Though, now that he thought about it, if Shiki didn't have a mother, then who made her bento…

…

…

Obito's eyes widened and his jaw dropped when he realized Shinjiro, Shiki's father, had been the one to make the bento. That tall, intimidating man made something so adorable that it caught Obito off-guard. He had never expected it, but now…he was having difficulties of what to think. That still didn't make Obito any less wary when it came to Shinjiro. Cutesy bento or not, that man still frightened Obito.

"Psst, I think Kakashi-kun is watching us," Rin suddenly whispered to Shiki, bringing attention to the silver-haired boy that sat in a tree near them, trying his best to stay unnoticed as he ate his lunch.

Obito found his attention shifting to Kakashi, his eyes narrowing when he realized Rin was right. Kakashi  _was_  watching them…why, Obito didn't know but it was pissing him off that the boy didn't even bother to talk to them. Kakashi, like the other day, didn't talk unless spoken to directly. Other than that, the boy was usually quiet, just staring and wearing the same damn look on his face that was mostly hidden by the mask he wore—just what was he even hiding?!

" _He thinks he's so cool…"_  Obito felt he shouldn't make such judgements. After all, it had only been two days so far. He didn't know much about Kakashi…just as he didn't know much about Shiki.

Rin was an interesting case, because Obito knew a bit about her before he even had a chance to talk to her. The Nohara clan, after all, was a clan that tended to pop up in conversations from time to time, being a clan that consisted of medic-nin. Because of that, Obito wasn't that surprised when Rin said she wanted to become a medic-nin…just what did Obito want to be?

He knew he wanted to be acknowledged by everyone else and becoming a shinobi was a good place to start. From there, Obito was at a loss to where he wanted to go. Becoming a Jounin seemed like a plausible milestone, but after that, what then? It was so confusing to be thinking so far ahead of the future, but Obito just wanted an idea of what dream he wanted to protect.

As he thought more about this, Obito decided it was a good question to ask Shiki. He now knew she didn't have a mother and that her father was a good cook, but maybe if he asked her if she had a dream, he could learn just a bit more about her.

Getting to know Shiki was already turning out to be a rather slow process, but Obito was happy to make any progress.

"Um…Shiki?" Obito swallowed hard when Shiki suddenly turned to him. It was unnerving how those eyes of Shiki's were—always concealed behind the dark lenses of her goggles. Her goggles weren't unlike his, where others could at least see his eyes. And because of that, Obito could never tell if she was looking at him or  _through_  him.

"Hmm?" Shiki tilted her head to the side, her black hair swaying in the same direction.

Obito immediately averted his gaze as he nervously asked, "Do you have a dream?"

"A dream?" Shiki repeated. "Well…I guess I want to protect my friends."

It sounded like such a simple dream. Obito could respect that. He felt as though friends were important, even if he barely had any, with Rin being his only friend so far. He was at least glad to have some sort of acquaintanceship with Shiki, as much as her kikaichū still intimidated him. And then there was Kakashi—Obito didn't know where to start with him.

Just what was up with Kakashi?

"He's probably just shy!" Rin was quick to say.

Shiki nodded her head in agreement before placing an umeboshi in her mouth. She really seemed to like those… "Um…you want one?"

Obito blinked when Shiki suddenly asked him this. He felt his face heating up when he realized he was staring. He sputtered a bit before stuffing a good amount of rice into his mouth to ensure he wouldn't be able to speak. Rin lightly admonished him for this, but Shiki didn't seemed bothered.

In fact, Shiki seemed to find this amusing.

" _Interesting…"_  Obito thought as he chewed. Learning more about the person who was Aburame Shiki was going to definitely take a while, but it was better than trying to avoid her. Because Obito was done letting rumors judge how he acted around others.

* * *

…

…

Kakashi was quite aware that he had been spotted. Of course, he didn't really care. All he wanted to do was observe. If he got noticed while doing this, then oh well. He would just have to try better next time to avoid being noticed…

Or not—he didn't really care. He would only care if it were an official mission. Otherwise, it was up to his decision on how seriously he took the situation. This situation…didn't seem like something he should take seriously.

Last night, Kakashi had caught Hatake Sakumo by complete surprise when he asked him how one were to make friends. It was an awkward question overall, but Sakumo honestly seemed proud and that alone made Kakashi feel warm inside. It certainly made him think twice about making friends.

" _Maybe having a few wouldn't be so bad…"_  Kakashi thought to himself as he looked away to eat one of the onigiri his father had made for him. Sakumo was a decent cook at best, but Kakashi always appreciated what his father made him.

After making sure no one was looking in his direction, Kakashi pulled down his mask and began to eat.

…

…

* * *

Rin watched Obito and Shiki intently as the former was slowly growing accustomed to being around Shiki. She could tell the Uchiha was still wary of Shiki, but she was happy to see he was trying to change that by getting to know the Aburame a bit better. The way the two were interacting today was honestly a huge improvement and Rin couldn't be any happier.

Though, she did wish that Kakashi would stop keeping his distance and join them.

" _Well, one thing at a time."_  Rin smiled at this thought as she snuck half a boiled egg into Obito's bento while he wasn't looking. Obito was honestly someone who was too proud to take food from others. Maybe that was where his Uchiha heritage showed, as everything else about him was so different from the other Uchiha.

Or maybe this was just Obito being Obito—Rin wouldn't know, as she barely knew the boy. But from what she could at least tell, he was a nice boy. He would definitely make a nice friend once he and Shiki can learn to talk to each other so comfortable. Until then, Rin was content with their current progress.

" _Friends are definitely nice,"_  Rin smiled as she thought this, giggling when she saw Obito about ready to complain about the egg in his bento, only to stop when she had given him a certain look. Obito really needed to learn that there was nothing wrong with accepting food from others…

* * *

…

…

Shiki could feel her heart speeding up each time Obito asked her a question. She was happy he was talking to her, but at the same time, she was so worried about saying the wrong thing. She was just so nervous of screwing up and saying something that would embarrass her.

Talking to Rin was so easy, because Shiki felt comfortable around her. But Obito…Obito was different. Shiki was still worried about making an even worse impression on him. She knew she shouldn't worry, but she just did. At the same time, she was just so… _giddy_ , because Obito was actually  _talking_  to her.

" _God, I feel pathetic…"_  Shiki inwardly sighed as she waited for Obito to ask yet another question. She wasn't so sure if she should ask him any questions or rather, if it was her turn to speak. The last thing she wanted to do was accidentally interrupt him. That would definitely be embarrassing…

And yet, when Shiki found herself staring at Obito, waiting for him to ask her yet another question, it managed to become just as embarrassing, because it took her nearly a minute to realize he was waiting for  _her_  to ask him a question. This certainly wasn't the first time Shiki had ever misread the situation, but it certainly was a first for her in this life. Shiki coughed, trying her best to suppress every fiber of her being that just had it out for her when it came to embarrassing her.

There was no outburst, but Shiki's face was sporting a luminescent blush that stood out so distinctly on her pale skin. A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of Shiki's face as she continued to stare at Obito. She tried to figure out a way to prevent herself from looking like an idiot, which was a feat within itself.

Shiki's past life sure had its moments that she would rather forget and god dammit, she was going to try to keep the past from repeating itself—at least to the extent that it had occurred in the past. Her eyes tried to focus on something else that wasn't Obito, as means of taking her attention away from the fact that she had been staring at him for more than a minute now (why was it so difficult talking to him, anyways?!). Seeing that her silence was only making things worse, Shiki finally spoke…

And she asked, "Why goggles?"

It sounded so…personal and yet, it was enough for Shiki to relax when Obito turned his attention away from her to look at his goggles. Feeling a little nervous, Shiki quickly glanced at Rin, who just seemed to be watching intently as she ate her food. It wasn't much, but just knowing Rin was there eased Shiki's nerves.

"Um…you know how the Uchiha clan is known for its kekkei genkai?" Obito looked at Shiki after removing his goggles.

"Uh…" Shiki wasn't exactly so sure if she should say yes, because it seemed like common knowledge, or no, because the knowledge she had on the Uchiha was not any of what she had learned, so far, as Aburame Shiki. It was a really risky situation and Shiki was only happy when Rin decided to help her out.

"It's a dōjutsu…right?" Rin finally decided to speak. "Like the Hyuuga clan?"

"Right!" Obito was smiling rather widely, for reasons Shiki was trying to discern—maybe he was happy because he wouldn't have to explain much. "Only the Hyuuga have their Byakugan and those white eyes of theirs."

Shiki blinked and nodded her head. "So would that make your black eyes part of what dōjutsu your clan has?"

Shiki was at least observant enough to know that the Uchiha had rather distinctive onyx black eyes. That, she was very much aware of and she would use it to her advantage in at least advancing the conversation she was having with Obito. It was better than her trying to act ignorant in order to gain information, as she truly was growing tired of putting up such a façade.

"Well, you got that part correct…" Obito ran his hand through his spiky black hair. "But our eyes don't stay black when we use our dōjutsu. And while the Hyuuga have the Byakugan, the Uchiha has the Sharingan."

"So, from what you are saying, your eyes are technically a weak point, if targeted…am I correct?" It certainly seemed like it to Shiki, which would explain why Obito wore his goggles. She never did get why he wore them, but then again, there could be an underlying problem going on with the Uchiha clan and their eyes. It would certainly explain why Uchiha Sarada wore glasses, which could also reflect what the Mangekyō Sharingan eventually did to the user's eyesight.

Of course, it could have also been genetics, with Haruno Sakura being the contributor for such. There was also the fact that Sarada was as old as Obito when he activated his Sharingan. But that would mean that Obito was in need of glasses, which he didn't wear.

" _I'm not wearing glasses, either…"_  And Shiki knew for a fact that she was as blind as a mole without her goggles. Maybe goggles could be used as a substitute for glasses, in the same way Shiki wore her goggles as a starting point before she would eventually receive a pair of glasses.  _"That sounds plausible…"_

Though, that still brought up a question in regards to Obito, as he discarded his goggles after he was, for all intents and purposes, presumed to be dead. He certainly didn't have any trouble seeing without his goggles as Tobi and was especially accurate during the Fourth Shinobi World War…

" _But he was also part Hashirama or whatever the crap White Zetsu was made out of…"_  Shiki wasn't in the mood to bother with details at the moment. She just wanted to figure out some answers and—  _"Obito was modified, you dumbass!"_

That would explain why Obito had no need for his goggles, apart from the fact that they were permanently gone and presumably crushed under rock, like the right half of Obito's body had been. And Shiki recalled a flashback of Obito saying that when his face was on the Hokage Monument, he would have his goggles on, with his Sharingan activated for everyone to see. At the time, when Shiki was binge-reading the remaining chapters of Naruto, it seemed like a set up to portray how much Obito had changed.

Now, Shiki wasn't so sure what to think. And with the way her body was beginning to prickle, a sensation only her kikaichū can cause, Shiki realized she had to stop thinking because she had just distracted herself. Obito was still talking and she had  _not_  been paying attention.

" _Fuck…"_  Shiki counted herself rather fortunate that things were much more different for her in this life, than in her past life. Because she had no idea what she would have done if she had to ask Obito if he could repeat himself. The thought alone just made Shiki want to hit her forehead against a wall.

So as Shiki tried to stay calm while her kikaichū relayed information they had gathered when she was spacing out, she found herself wanting to ask another question to Obito, which she did, as soon as he had finished talking.

"Can you see without your goggles?" With the help of her kikaichū, Shiki was already aware that Obito had confirmed his eyes to be a weak point, which extended to the other Uchiha. And most of what Obito had explained was that the goggles were to keep anything from getting into his eyes and just protect them in general, seeing as he would be using his eyes a lot for many things as he got older and progressed with his training as a shinobi. And yet, when Shiki asked her question, Obito seemed to stiffen.

"U-Um…why would you ask that?" Obito had a nervous look in his eyes as he placed on his goggles. "Wait—why do  _you_  wear your goggles?"

Shiki tilted her head to the side. She was quite aware that Obito was trying to change the subject, so that the focus was no longer on him, considering the question she had asked. It was a sure sign that he was hiding something or just trying to figure out why she would even ask such a question. Whatever the case was, it would be impolite if she left his question unanswered.

"I need them to see," Shiki replied. "Otherwise, I cannot open my eyes to see because of how bright it is."

Obito made a face upon hearing her answer and Rin paused for a moment to think. After a moment, Rin brought her fist down into the open palm of her other hand.

"Light sensitivity!" Rin said, almost as if it was something so obvious—which it certainly seemed to her. "That's why the others wear those glasses—right?"

Shiki blinked and nodded her head. "In the Aburame clan, once children reach a certain age, their eyes become increasingly sensitive to light. The cause stems from our kikaichū, but Otou-san that it is nothing too serious."

"What do you mean by that?!" Obito suddenly blurted out. "Because of those things, you have to wear glasses in order to see! How can you even stand it?!"

A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of Shiki's face as she stared at Obito, who looked rather unsettled with what he had just heard. It had never occurred to Shiki that something she had grown so used to, as a result of her upbringing, can been seen as something else to someone, like Obito.

"Symbiosis," was all Shiki said before pausing to observe Obito. He looked so confused, but at the same time, repulsed. When Shiki turned to look at Rin, she seemed intrigued. Two very different types of reactions…and it made Shiki want to laugh.

Because it just reminded her of the time she was a fifth grader in her past life, trying her best to make a good impression on the new kid in class…only to freak him out with information she thought that was interesting when it came to dust mites. It was embarrassing to even think back on it—so  _very_ ,  **very**  embarrassing…but it was all in the past. Shiki was no longer as naïve as she was then, having learned the hard way that there was such a thing as too much information.

This was no different. However, unlike that boy from her past, Shiki could tell that Obito seemed concerned that she wasn't at all worried for the fact that her kikaichū had caused her photophobia. Rin, on the other hand, seemed intrigued with the information, which was most likely a result of how mysterious the Aburame clan was to others devoid of such information.

Shiki was aware that Rin wanted to become a medic-nin, like many of those in her clan. And for Rin to learn such information, it was giving her insight on the Aburame clan. Such insight would certainly help her, should she ever have an Aburame as a patient.

"Symbiosis refers to a mutually beneficial relationship," Shiki decided to explain her situation with her kikaichū a bit more in-depth to Obito. "I allowed kikaichū to nest and breed inside my body. They feed off my chakra and in return, they provide services to ensure I stay alive and content. There are drawbacks, but it is nothing life-threatening—that is why I can stand it."

Slowly, Obito's visible repulsion started to wane as he took in the information Shiki had given him. A minute passed and Obito was still mulling over what he had been told. Smiling, Shiki decided to simplify her explanation to a point.

"If they were parasites, then that would be a problem." The fact that kikaichū weren't parasites, like fleas, were what lessened the horror Shiki originally had in regards to the notion of being covered in insects. "But they are not, because they would never cause me any harm—not while I am their host."

Another minute passed and Obito seemed to have finally calmed down. Having learned about something he disliked seemed to certainly help.

" _Maybe that's why he's so uneasy around me,"_  Shiki found herself thinking. Most of Obito's reactions stemmed from an aversion—maybe even a fear—of the unknown.  _"Hmm, I wonder…"_

…

…

"If you have any questions about my kikaichū, y-you can ask me." Shiki smiled nervously. "I-I do not mind."

And yet, Shiki couldn't help but feel awkward. Rin wasn't saying anything, and neither was Obito. There was just silence…but then Obito spoke, and said, "I can see without my goggles."

Shiki hadn't been expecting that response, but she still ended up asking, "How much?"

And when Obito stuffed the last of his rice into his mouth to avoid answering, Shiki decided to move away from the subject of his eyesight.

"I will not ask anymore…" It seemed to be a sensitive subject, and Shiki didn't want to pry.

* * *

…

…

There was something about seeing two people slowly open up to each other that made Rin want to make sure they continued doing so. There was a small slip-up, but Shiki managed to take control of the situation rather quickly. She was definitely growing more comfortable around Obito. Rin could very much confirm that.

Rin could also tell that, despite having known Shiki the longest out of the three of them (four, if Kakashi was included), she still had much to learn about the girl. They all did…but from what Rin could tell, getting to know someone was just as fun as making friends. And when Rin saw Obito nervously thanking Shiki as the three of them packed up their belongings, lunchtime having come to an end, she smiled.

Rin would keep an eye on these two (as well as Kakashi) and step in whenever she needed to, but for now, she was going to get herself ready for another class period of physical activity. In which Obito would need quite a lot of encouragement, being so out of shape as he was. Rin had a feeling it had to do with his lack of training, as he was on the same level of a child from a civilian family. Kakashi had a point, as tactless as his words had been. Obito was doing poorly, in comparison to those of his clan.

Though Rin didn't see much of Obito's relatives, she had at least seen most of them the other day, when they were running. They were in much better shape than he was, that was most definitely a fact. He was also quite alone—that was yet another fact, but one that Rin wanted to change. Being alone wasn't always a bad thing. Sometimes, people wanted to be alone…she knew that.

But Obito didn't want to be alone.

She could tell from the way he watched his relatives interaction, how he secretly wished to be part of that. He probably won't ever admit it, and Rin wouldn't ever push him. She just wanted to help him make even more friends. And, through that extension, help Shiki and Kakashi as well.

Rin didn't have to do it, but by now, the four of them had interacted with each other at least once. They didn't stray too far from each other either. If they could grow more comfortable around each other, maybe things could change…

" _Maybe…"_  Rin was at least going to try, as there didn't seem to be any harm that would come from it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blaargh, was hoping this chapter would be a little longer, but it felt right to end it here. Day two of classes and look at how these four have progressed! Yeah, they still have a long ways to go—Kakashi, especially, but they are getting there.
> 
> Have some more world building and character building—which is like world building, but instead, you build up on a character and at this point, I'm just gonna put it out, this Obito wears his goggles for reasons that involve his eyesight. He needs them, but for what, that will eventually come to light as he gets more comfortable opening up about himself. Shiki isn't the only one slowly getting out of her shell.
> 
> Now the thing about character building is that it's gonna range from headcanons (reasonable ones that come from character analyses, not just random ones—I like having a basis for these) to me taking opportunities with what is there to work with—like in the case with Obito's goggles. And because I just want to get this off my chest while I'm at it, Kakashi, like Shiki, is also asexual, which certainly seems to fit the type of character he is in canon. And yes, that also means Butterfly Child's Kakashi is asexual.
> 
> Because you can never have too many asexual characters—just trust me on this one. And oh my gosh, the shipping games—they are so lively! Kashiki (Kakashi/Shiki) is still in the lead, with Shikito (Obito/Shiki—if anyone has a better name for it, please tell me) in second, Riki (Rin/Shiki—once again, if anyone has a better name for it) in third, and Kakashi/Shiki/Obito in last.
> 
> By the by, I'm quite fine with polyamory ships in general—a huge supporter of them, in fact. And if you guys have been paying attention to the Butterfly Child shipping poll on my Fanfiction.Net profile (I'm KlonoaDreams on there), you can see that I am also fine with F/F pairings as well (I'm fine with any, actually). Remember, I ship based on chemistry and love triangles can be pretty exhausting (if you've seen the many I have come across). By the by, the definition of a love triangle is that Person A likes Person B, Person B likes Person C, but Person C likes Persona A (make lines, and you get a triangle). Two people liking the same person is NOT a love triangle—you get a V with that and there's really nothing fun about forcing a person to choose when you can really solve the situation with a polyamory relationship and fun fact, a V just so happens to be a type of relationship… As you can see, I've had a lot of experience with this stuff just as much as love triangles. When you reach a certain point, it really just exhausts you.
> 
> That aside, keep supporting what you want to ship and remember, it doesn't have to involve Shiki in the mix, because I have seen support for Obito/Rin. Just keep having fun, guys—that's all I ask of you. And expect a time skip of sorts come the next chapter.
> 
> A lot of you guys really enjoyed the Kakashi POV, and that's just so funny, because everyone always seems to like my Kakashi POVs. I just…I'm happy to hear that. :3
> 
> That is about it for now, and I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! There are quite a lot of things to come, so until next time, everyone!


	10. Surprise

Once class had been dismissed, Obito could be seen leaning on Kakashi as the two walked out of the Academy building. The look on Obito's face was that of someone who was just done with the world. It did not help that Rin was giggling, finding the situation rather humorous. Shiki, while most likely amused, was at least quiet about it.

The reason the situation even occurred in the first place was because Obito's body decided that it reached its limit after two consecutive days of strenuous physical activity. Exhaustion hit him like a brick and he was only fortunate he wasn't the only student in his class (or his year, as he later found out) in such a position, where he could barely take a few steps without feeling the need to collapse.

Obito wanted to complain—he  _really_  wanted to, but then he felt Kakashi would have something else to get on his case for, as the silver-haired boy already did with the fact that Obito was doing rather poorly for an Uchiha. It was irritating that someone as short as Kakashi could so effortlessly support Obito  _without_  the help of Rin. The only reason Obito even agreed on letting Kakashi help in the first place was because he  _thought_  Rin was also going to be helping as well— _especially_  since she had been the first to ask Obito if he needed help, but being shorter than him proved to be an issue. Which is why Shiki asked Kakashi if he would lend a hand, as he had yet to leave the Aburame's side, for reasons Obito couldn't begin to understand. Of course, then Kakashi just _had_  to show off and go without any help, much to Rin's amazement as she stared at Kakashi with admiration-filled eyes.

This situation could have easily been avoided and Obito knew that…but thanks to his dislike of bugs, help from Shiki was most definitely out of the question. Despite the fact that she was  _taller than he was_ —a fact he discovered so startlingly when he thanked her earlier for ceasing any questions regarding his need to wear his goggles. It was honestly mindboggling how someone such as Shiki could be taller than he was. Of course, this was coming from someone who barely even knew Shiki and the more Obito thought about it, the more he realized that today was actually the first time he had gotten close enough to Shiki in order to notice such a difference.

Even Shiki had also noticed it, but in a way that made Obito blush when she said, "Y-You're shorter than me."

For a brief moment, Shiki had discarded her usual manner of speech. It was so sudden, that Obito forgot to look away in order to hide his red face. His face turned even redder when he saw Shiki blushing as well. She had apologized for the comment, as well as her speech mannerism slip-up, as small as it was (in Obito's opinion).

Shiki was definitely a strange girl…but also considerate, as she had asked Kakashi if he could help Rin when Shiki could have done so, instead. And yet she still asked Kakashi, because Shiki knew Obito still felt uncomfortable around her. Knowing that, Obito felt he deserved to be in this situation, for not giving Shiki a chance he had given her father the other day.

That still didn't mean Obito was going to refrain from feeling any sort of resent towards Kakashi. And because of their close proximity, Hatake Sakumo had immediately jumped to the conclusion that his son had actually made a friend, which was why Obito soon found himself about to be carried home by Konoha's White Fang. Obito didn't even have any time to protest, as Shiki decided to take the initiative for once to explain that it was better if Sakumo carried Obito home.

After all, Obito felt uncomfortable around kikaichū and Shiki wanted to avoid a repeat of yesterday, where Obito had to tolerate being so close to Aburame Shinjiro. Just seeing Shiki go to great lengths at ensuring Obito was comfortable was starting to get to him. She didn't have to do this…but she still did.

"S-See you tomorrow, Obito-kun," was all Shiki told Obito before turning to Kakashi and giving him a slight nod. Shiki stayed a little longer to talk to Rin and afterwards, she just ran off to find her father, who was waiting for her at a tree.

Obito felt envious, for the fact that Shiki had someone who was waiting for her each and every day. He had no one…but he didn't feel as alone as he usually did. That confused him, though he didn't really have much time to think about it when Rin suddenly looked at him with a smile on her face.

"You did even better today, Obito!" Rin's words had managed to make Obito blush. "Thank you two so much for helping him out!"

Kakashi said nothing while Sakumo just laughed and said, "Anything for a friend of Kakashi's!"

Obito almost wanted to protest that they weren't even friends with Kakashi, but he found himself unable to—not after what Rin had said to him. She seemed so proud of him…and so happy. It was certainly a look that was unlike the one she had shown him on the day he bumped into Shiki.

" _I still haven't apologized…"_  But when Obito did, he wanted it to be genuine. There was no point in apologizing if it sounded force and wasn't from the heart. He was only lucky that Shiki was so understanding, but that was what made it even worse. It only made him wonder why Rin would even give him a chance.

"He's not really my friend, Tou-san…" And then there was Kakashi! "He's just an Uchiha who doesn't like bugs."

"I have a name!" And Obito would prefer it be used, instead of being referred to as just another typical Uchiha.

"Huh? Really?" Sakumo ended up giving Obito another look, ignoring the fact that he was annoyed. "Well, you do have the eyes…Obito, was it?"

"That's my name!" Obito huffed. "I'm not just some Uchiha…"

"Ahh, I see how it is…how are your parents?" The fact that Sakumo could even ask such a question really made Obito feel uncomfortable.

"They're dead." That was all Obito was going to say about them.

"I figured." Sakumo smiled reassuringly at Obito. "So are you really not friends with Kakashi?"

"No…Rin-chan's my only friend." That was the truth, as much as Obito didn't want to admit it, if only because Rin was better off being friends with people like Shiki, instead of him. "He's just rude."

"You're rude, too," Kakashi retorted. "You haven't apologized to her."

"I know!" Obito snapped. "Just…shut up…"

Obito didn't need someone like Kakashi bringing up such a touchy subject. Rin, Obito could understand, but Kakashi…all he did was follow Shiki. Why did Kakashi care about something like that—why did he even know about that, anyways?!

…

Obito made a face.  _"He was watching us the other day, wasn't he?"_

That was honestly the only way Kakashi would know about something like that, considering it had only been two days that Obito had had a chance to speak to Shiki.

"So…" Sakumo suddenly said. "Where exactly do you live in the Uchiha District?"

Sakumo was most definitely trying to change the subject, which he did successfully as Obito replied, "I'll tell you when we get there."

"You still need to apologize." Of course, then Kakashi had to bring them back to the previous subject.

"W-Well…you need to stop following her!" Obito could tell Shiki felt nervous around Kakashi, considering how the silver-haired boy never really said anything, unless spoken to directly. "And why don't you ever say anything?!"

"Do I have to?" Kakashi deadpanned.

"No, but it would be polite if you did!" Obito scowled.

Kakashi blinked. "But wouldn't it also be polite to apologize?"

"Okay, now you're just doing that on purpose!" And it was pissing Obito off.

* * *

…

…

Sakumo honestly had no idea what to make of the current dispute between his son and Obito. He was clueless to whom it was they were even referring to, apart that Kakashi kept following them and that Obito owed them an apology. Though, based on what they were saying, it was a girl. And from what Sakumo saw so far, the only girls he had seen around Obito and Kakashi were Shinjiro's daughter and that girl from the Nohara clan.

Sakumo doubted it was a crush, as Kakashi seemed more interested in trying to make friends, considering the questions he had asked last night. Obito, on the other hand, was questionable, but the situation seemed devoid of anything that could possibly refer to a crush. If anything, Obito and Kakashi were just butting heads with each other. Sakumo already knew that Gai had left an impression on Kakashi, but Obito was managing to bring out a side of Kakashi that Sakumo had never seen.

If Sakumo didn't already know, he would have mistaken these two for friends. Sakumo honestly wouldn't mind it if Kakashi made friends with someone like Obito. He doubted the two would ever willingly agree to something such as that—not now, at least. But with time, that could change.

" _I'll just let them be, for now…"_  Sakumo thought to himself as made his way towards the Uchiha District, carrying Obito on his back whilst holding onto his son's hand. Today had certainly been an interesting day for Konoha's White Fang.

…

…

* * *

Since that day, Kakashi found himself having to take a detour once classes were over. He had no idea how his father could even put up with someone like Obito. And the fact that the Uchiha was as physically fit as a child from a civilian family was honestly pitiful.

" _Why is he doing so terribly?"_  Kakashi found himself wondering more and more often with each passing day. He could understand it if Shiki were to suddenly start doing so poorly, considering her respiratory problems, but that was not the case. He just couldn't understand how Obito was even struggling, when he was from such a prestigious clan.

At the end of the week, Kakashi found himself asking Shiki if she wanted to come over to his house after classes, because Sakumo had told him that he could invite his friends over whenever he wanted to. The problem with that was that Sakumo had been expecting Kakashi to ask Obito, not Shiki…but then Obito was quick to say that they weren't friends.

"R-Right…" Sakumo laughed nervously.

"So can she come over?" Kakashi asked again, leaving a rather nervous Shiki to stutter as she tried to make sense of the situation.

Rin found the situation amusing, but still managed to bring attention to a detail Kakashi was overlooking. "She needs to ask her father for permission first before you start asking questions like that."

"Oh." Kakashi had never considered that.

"I should have been more specific." Sakumo sighed as he looked at Shiki. "Why don't you ask your father, so we can figure out a date? That is, if he gives you permission…"

"That will not be an issue." Shinjiro's appearance had been so sudden, that Kakashi could tell that it startled Obito, from the way the Uchiha had held his shoulder so tightly. "Shiki has my permission and if you would like, I could take Obito-kun home today."

"Wouldn't it be better if Tou-san took him instead?" Kakashi was aware that Obito wasn't comfortable getting close to Shiki, since she was covered in her kikaichū. And while Kakashi didn't particularly like Obito, that still didn't mean he wanted to see the Uchiha in an uncomfortable position. "How else is Shinjiro-san going to know where to find Shiki?"

If Shiki could put in effort to make sure Obito was comfortable, then so could Kakashi.

…

Wait, was that actually the first time he actually referred to Shiki by her name? It certainly felt like it and it would explain why Shiki's face had turned so red. Not that it really mattered to Kakashi—names were names and honorifics were optional. For someone like Shiki, Kakashi felt that it was better to omit honorifics to show a sense of closeness. After all, she was the only one he had considered a friend so far.

"Heehee…" Rin certainly found Shiki's reaction amusing, for reasons Kakashi couldn't understand. Rin was a strange, yet nice girl. "It's nice to see you're all getting along. I would love to stay, but I should get going. My parents are waiting for me."

Without saying another word, Rin left, deciding it was none of her business to stick around in a situation that did not involve her. And yet, after she had left, Kakashi could tell that both Obito and Shiki appeared more nervous than before.

It didn't help that Shinjiro finally decided to respond to Kakashi's suggestion. "That would be the case, if I had not already known where Sakumo-san lived. If not for that knowledge, then I am very much capable of tracking my own daughter with my kikaichū."

"Ah…right…" it seemed as though Shiki had just remembered something she had forgotten. "They can do that, too."

"Besides, I believe Sakumo-san deserves a break today," Shinjiro continued. "And it is not the first time I have carried you home…right, Obito-kun?"

"N-No…" Obito answered somewhat nervously. "U-Um…I don't mind going home on my own today—"

"That is something I cannot allow," was all Shinjiro said before pulling Obito onto his back. "It is not advisable to push yourself when you are exhausted. Therefore, I am taking you home. Do you understand, Obito-kun?"

At this point, Obito was unable to form a comprehensible sentence of any sort, after witnessing such surprising behavior from Aburame Shinjiro. Shinjiro most definitely did not appear to be the type, but Kakashi knew better. To anyone who actually knew Shinjiro, such as Sakumo, this was normal behavior. While polite and seemingly reserved, Shinjiro was rather aggressive when it came to caring about the well-being of others.

It was certainly hard for Sakumo to forget the many times he had seen Shinjiro carrying either Uzuki Tsukiya or Gekkō Shō on his back after a day of strenuous training with their Jounin instructor, Mochizuki Sadako. For Sakumo, it made up many of the memories he shared with Sadako, who was his girlfriend at the time. And since Kakashi was a rather curious individual when it came to learning about his mother, it was only natural that Sakumo would tell him about such memories. And that is how Kakashi knew of his mother and his relation to the Mochizuki clan, a matrilineal clan known for its skilled kunoichi and the many children they adopted into their clan, whether they be orphans, abandoned children found during missions, or any of the sort. They took anyone in, so long as they could.

And through that extension, that is how Kakashi knew partially about the enigma that was Aburame Shinjiro. It made him want to laugh when he saw how surprised Obito was, but then he was worried Shiki was going to tap him on the back of his head as she did during their first day of classes. It was embarrassing—especially since it reminded Kakashi of Sakumo, whenever he had to discipline one of his rambunctious dog summons. Soon, that would be Kakashi doing the same with his own summons when he finally made a contract.

Kakashi blinked when he realized that Shinjiro had already left, leaving him alone with his father and an anxious Shiki. He tilted his head to the side, wondering why it was that Shiki was always so nervous around him. She was so comfortable around Rin…

" _Was it something I did?"_  Kakashi was confused, but he decided to stop staring and start talking to Shiki. "Hey…"

"Ah…yes?!" Shiki blurted out.

Kakashi blinked again and looked at his father, who just patted him on the head.  _"I'm not a dog…"_

And yet, Kakashi still allowed such an action because of the positive feelings he received from it. Thinking for a moment, Kakashi walked closer to Shiki and tried to pat her on the head. Even though he was barely taller than Rin, Kakashi could still reach the top of Shiki's head and give her a couple of reassuring pats…that only succeeded in making her face light up like a firework.

"Kakashi, it's not nice to embarrass girls like that," Sakumo lightly scolded Kakashi, who was still confused as to why it didn't work.

"I thought it would make her feel better…" Kakashi wanted to say, but kept quiet. Sighing, he decided that instead of standing around, they should leave. "We should go."

"Eheh, I guess we should…come along, Shiki." Shiki let out a rather tiny squeak when Sakumo suddenly placed his hand on her shoulder. "You must be pretty curious to see what else there is in Konoha, apart from the Academy and the Aburame compound."

Kakashi blinked yet again when he heard this.  _"What does he mean by that?"_

"I-I guess…" Shiki replied quietly. "Um…are you sure my father can find us?"

"Would it make you feel any better to know that your father used to be my wife's Genin?" Sakumo informed Shiki.

Shiki immediately perked up. "R-Really?! I mean—really?!"

It was weird, seeing Shiki look so curious. Kakashi wasn't used to seeing this side of Shiki, but it was certainly better than seeing her acting anxious. As the three of them began making their way towards the Hatake residence, Kakashi couldn't help but hope that Shiki would continue to stay like this. He really didn't want her to be so nervous around him anymore…

* * *

…

…

Obito didn't know what to do when he found himself being carried home on Shinjiro's back. It was still an unnerving experience, but…not as unnerving as it had been during that first day. He knew a little more about kikaichū. They wouldn't hurt him, so long as the host commanded them. In this case, the host would be Shinjiro…but Obito was worried that Shinjiro resented him for the fact that he had yet to apologize to Shiki. It confused him as to why Shinjiro would even bother with him.

" _Why would he even care for someone like me?"_ For the first few years of his life, all Obito had caring for him was an elderly Uchiha couple who watched over children like him. It was only temporary, never permanent. They did their best to ensure that each child in their care could stand on their own before being given a place, as Obito had.

It was for this reason alone that Obito found himself coming back every so often to check up on the elderly couple. As often as they assured him that they were fine, Obito still couldn't help but confirm it with his own eyes. And he wasn't the only one, as while they were ignored by the rest, the couple that had raised them for the first few years of their life had left an impact in the other Uchiha who were just like him. Even though most of them only appeared to care for themselves, having to adjust to such a mindset at an early age, the elderly couple held a special place in their hearts.

Apart from them, Obito and the others had no one—not even themselves. And yet, here was Aburame Shinjiro, actually caring about Obito's well-being. It was strange, but not unwanted, despite how much Obito wanted to distance himself from the man. It had only been a week, but Obito needed more time to get past his dislike of insects. He needed even more time to adjust to the fact that Shinjiro could be aggressive when he wanted to in ways Obito could never have imagined.

Though, it did remind Obito of the day Shiki had stuffed an onigiri into his mouth. Shinjiro was probably where she got that forceful side of hers…and her height. Not that Obito was jealous or anything…maybe.

…

When Obito was finally brought to his apartment, the first thoughts he had upon opening the door was to flop down onto his bed and sleep through the rest of today and maybe half of tomorrow. That was until Shinjiro gave him a sealing scroll and told him to open it carefully on a flat surface that was preferably sanitary.

Translation: Make sure it's opened on something clean.

Talking to Shiki certainly helped Obito expand on his vocabulary, as limited as it was at times…

" _I really need to apologize to her…"_  Obito sighed before thanking Shinjiro for whatever it was that was inside the scroll. He hoped it wasn't anything bad.

After Shinjiro had left, Obito wobbled over to the kitchen table and placed the scroll on top of it, making sure to wipe off any dust that might have been on the surface before anything. He pulled out a chair and sat down, staring at the scroll on the table for a good five minutes before gathering enough courage to open it. What he found inside was surprising enough for him to stare for another five minutes.

It was just hard to comprehend that there was a large stack of bento boxes now on the table. Obito opened one just to check what was inside, wondering if this was some sort of joke…it wasn't. Inside, was carefully prepared food that was still warm, with an enticing aroma that made Obito's stomach growl and his mouth water. Obito didn't even care that there were more vegetables than he was willing to eat in the bento—he was still going to eat it.

And he did.

* * *

…

…

The Hatake residence was larger than what Shiki could have ever imagined. It was a mansion, with a traditional Japanese appearance. It was located within the large forest encircling the village, almost hidden from the rest of Konohagakure. If Shiki didn't know any better, this mansion could have passed for a clan compound…and that was when she recalled that there had been a Hatake clan. Now, all that remained was Kakashi and Sakumo, considering they were the only two inhabiting the mansion. They probably had distant relatives, but Shiki wouldn't know. After all, the world loved throwing random curve balls at her whenever she least expected it—such as the recent discovery that Kakashi's mother had once been her father's Jounin instructor.

At least Shiki now knew how Sakumo knew her father… And god _damn_ , did the mansion feel lonely as fuck! It was just the three of them now, inside this enormous mansion. Shiki wondered how Kakashi and Sakumo managed when it was just the two of them. She wasn't used to seeing such a huge place feel so empty, having grown up within the confines of the surprisingly lively Aburame compound her entire life so far.

As Shiki tried to ignore the fact that Sakumo had effectively left her and Kakashi alone in what appeared to be this mansion's living room, her eyes began to wander. It was a new place for her, after all. And Shiki had never been in someone else's house before, so her curiosity was starting to get the better of her.

Minutes later, Shiki found herself holding a picture frame that was not unlike the picture frame she had seen of the new Uzumaki family in  _The Last_. It was even arranged similarly, with the centermost frame being of a newlywed couple. Only, in this case, the newlywed couple was of Hatake Sakumo and Sadako.

Hatake Sadako was a rather beautiful woman with lilac-tinged white hair that was pinned up in a bun. She had dark purple eyes and fair skin. She was also rather short and slender…or maybe Sakumo was just tall—Shiki wouldn't know, as Sadako was no longer alive. Though, what she did know was that she now knew where exactly it was that Kakashi had inherited his beauty mark. The mole on Sadako's face was even located on the same place as Kakashi's was.

Speaking of Kakashi…Shiki looked over her shoulder at Kakashi, who just stared back at her with blank eyes as he sat at a table in the center of the room. Shiki couldn't help but giggle, to which Kakashi reacted by arching a brow. Turning her attention back on the picture frame, Shiki focused on the side pictures of what appeared to be Sakumo and a very cute baby with silver-colored hair—

"Give it back!" Without any warning, Kakashi snatched the picture frame out of Shiki's hands.

Shiki blinked a few times, her body completely tense. Kakashi had startled her rather badly with how quickly he had appeared at her side. At the current moment, he was holding the picture frame tightly against his chest. He stared at her with wide-eyes, almost in a state of panic.

It was weird…but then Shiki realized that the picture of the baby she had seen was of Kakashi and if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that baby Kakashi wouldn't be wearing a mask. And Kakashi seemed to have just noticed that, based on how quickly he had reacted. Just knowing that this was the extent that Kakashi would go in order to prevent anyone from seeing his face was enough to make Shiki start laughing.

* * *

…

…

This was how Sakumo found Shiki and Kakashi. Sakumo had only left to make some snacks for his son and his friend. Coming back to see Kakashi just staring at his usually reserved friend looking as though she was going to die from laughter was something that he wasn't expecting. Then he realized that Shiki  _was_ , in a sense, dying of laughter, considering how hard she had suddenly started coughing.

Sakumo had almost forgotten that Shinjiro's daughter had asthma…but Kakashi seemed prepared enough. He was quick enough to shove his hand into one of the pockets on Shiki's jacket and pulled out her inhaler, which he promptly handed to her. After a couple of puffs, Shiki gave Kakashi a look that was initially of annoyance before sighing and saying, "Thank you."

Kakashi just blinked, tilting his head to the side before saying, "Isn't it bothersome?"

"Yes…it is," Shiki replied as she pocketed her inhaler. "Anyways, hello, Sakumo-san—how long have you been standing there?"

"Not long enough," Sakumo wanted to say. He had questions, but decided not to ask them as he walked over to the table and set down the plate of onigiri he had made. "I hear you like umeboshi, Shiki."

"H-How?!" Shiki honestly sounded surprised…then she turned to Kakashi.  _"Was it…?"_

Sakumo's eyes practically gleamed when he saw the opportunity before him. "He likes to talk about you whenever I ask him about any of his friends."

"H-He does?!" Shiki sounded shocked.

"Tou-san!" And Kakashi sounded annoyed.

Oh, how Sakumo wished Sadako were still alive to see this.

* * *

…

…

It had been almost five years since Shinjiro had last set foot in the Hatake residence. He had never been good with staying in touch with his former Jounin-sensei and her husband, usually depending on Shō or Tsukiya to drag his ass over for a visit. Speaking of the two, Shō had found someone a couple of years back and was now the father of a son named Hayate, who was turning one this November. Meanwhile with Tsukiya, he and his girlfriend, Mitsuki, were expecting their first child in that same month.

Considering how close the dates were, Shinjiro wondered if Shō and Tsukiya had planned something ahead of time. It wouldn't be the first time they had ever discussed such a peculiar topic with each other, considering their "present" to Shinjiro when he was promoted to Jounin. The two were so close to each other on a level that made others mistake them for a couple quite often, which was most definitely not the case—not after the two had decided to stay as friends after giving dating a try. It lasted almost a year and it was the weirdest thing Shinjiro had ever witnessed, in terms of how he didn't get romance and the fact that he had to put up with being the awkward third-wheel.

Of course, that would have probably been the case, if the pregnancy, altogether, hadn't been unplanned. It had caught both Tsukiya and Mitsuki by surprise—Mitsuki, especially, as she had just returned from a mission and gotten herself checked out at the hospital when she had received the news. Team Sadako just seemed to be prone to such situations.

It was moments like these that Shinjiro really wished that Sadako's name wasn't on the memorial stone. It was also moments such as these that Shinjiro wished he had visited Sadako more often than he had before and after he had Shiki. He had been there when Kakashi was born, alongside Shō and Tsukiya. Sadako had appreciated their presence, as she had been on her own due to the war keeping Sakumo busy while she was on maternity leave.

A majority of the conflict had already died down, with the current prediction being that the war should come to a complete end by the end of the year, much to Shinjiro's relief. The only thing that had kept him and the rest of his teammates from participating in the war was their age. The existing age requirements had prevented many young shinobi from becoming casualties in the war. Though, being a Jounin had almost put Shinjiro out on the battlefield…then Shiki came into his life and he was able to use her as an excuse to stay home, where it was safe. He was already aware that others have been talking behind his back because of his actions, but he didn't care.

He would rather have them talking about him than Shiki, anyways.

As Shinjiro watched his daughter interact with Kakashi, with the two just staring at each other, he couldn't help but feel content. Shinjiro might have hoped that his daughter and Sadako's son could become friends. Besides, Shiki needed to interact with more children her age apart from Rin and Obito. Kakashi was a nice enough boy, if tactless—much like his mother was at times. He even wore a mask like Sadako, who liked to play up the assumption that she was hiding unattractive features underneath said mask, only to reveal a rather pretty face that made quite a lot of heads turn.

Sadako wore a mask because she liked keeping an unreadable expression, which proved useful in her career as a kunoichi. Kakashi, on the other hand…Shinjiro was clueless as to what his reasons were, but he wasn't going to ask. He would rather just talk to Sakumo and catch up to what had happened during the past few years since they had last seen each other.

By the time he had felt that he and Shiki had stayed long enough, Shinjiro found his daughter and Kakashi snuggling up against one of Sakumo's summons, Koko, in their sleep. Koko was a cream-colored male Shiba Inu who seemed rather annoyed—especially since his daughter, a honey-colored Shiba Inu puppy by the name of Hanī, was tugging on his ear.

Shinjiro had recalled seeing Koko around many times during his days as a Genin, whenever Sakumo wanted to send Sadako a message. He was quite surprised to see that the Shiba Inu had become a parent to a rather rambunctious puppy, as Koko was not one for patience and yet…here he was now, enduring whatever little thing his daughter dished out at him. It was amusing, to see how much has changed…but Shinjiro didn't mind. It wasn't too bad, apart from the death of Hatake Sadako. Sadako did a good job at preserving many of the memories she had made with Shinjiro, Shō, and Tsukiya. It was a job that Sakumo took it upon himself to continue.

Which is why Shinjiro wasn't surprised to see Sakumo taking a picture of the current scene before them. Koko was not at all amused, just staring down at Sakumo for the action while continuing to endure Hanī's tugs at his ear with her mouth. Sakumo just laughed before noticing that Shinjiro was watching.

"Oh…I guess I should have asked you if taking a picture was okay…" Sakumo smiled nervously.

Shinjiro stared at Sakumo for a moment before holding out his hand. "I would like a copy of the photo when you develop it. So long as you provide it, no apologies shall be needed."

Not that Sakumo even needed to apologize in the first place. Sadako would have done it in his place, instead, were she still alive and just knowing that made Shinjiro smile. It was such tiny smile, but he could tell that Sakumo had saw.

"It must be nice having so much family…" Sakumo smiled wryly. "Even if it's just you and Shiki, you still have everyone else."

Shinjiro tilted his head to the side. "What about the Mochizuki clan?"

It was a well-known fact that there wasn't much left of the Hatake clan, but that was only in name. If one actually looked into the origins of the Mochizuki clan, they would know that the Mochizuki clan was once part of the Hatake clan before branching off into their own. And while Sadako was of the Mochizuki clan, she was one of the many children that had been adopted.

"They're busy enough as is running the hanamachi and caring for their own children," Sakumo explained. "But they still managed to find enough time to send someone to check up every once in a while. I don't know why they even bother, considering the distance between this place and the hanamachi."

Despite what he was saying, Sakumo was happy. As cheerful as he usually appeared, Shinjiro could tell that Sakumo was lonely. Hell, the entire place felt lonely. It was honestly too big to house just two people. Knowing that and recalling how nice it had been to see Shiki interacting with someone her age, Shinjiro decided to set up another playdate of sorts.

It almost hurt to when Shinjiro saw how happy Sakumo had agreed to his proposition.

* * *

…

…

Kunoichi classes began the following week, taking place after regular classes. Attendance was mandatory, but Shiki wasn't too worried. Rin would be there and Shiki was honestly not that concerned with the subjects that were going to be covered, considering the upbringing she had at the Aburame compound. Shiki was confident that she would do well and because of that, she was quite happy.

_No curve balls for me today!_

Shiki had heard from her Kunie on what to expect and she was honestly surprised to hear that while kunoichi classes were divided up by years, it wasn't unlikely to see female students of varying ages, whether younger or older, in any of the classes—be they beginning, intermediate, or advanced classes. Some students preferred to improve areas where they had done poorly originally. Others were either behind their own year or ahead. The majority, however, was just stuck choosing whatever class they wanted to attend that was available because after a certain point in an Academy student's life, every kunoichi classes was just review, so it was either stick around for the review or pick a different class to attend.

It sounded like a pain in the ass, but Shiki was in no position to argue. Kunie just gave her the advice of finding a class she liked the most so she had an idea of what to take once classes became nothing but review. It would make it easier for her, considering kunoichi classes were mandatory until age ten or graduation (whichever came first).

And since Shiki had no idea how exactly her Academy life was going to progress (as in she had no idea when she was going to graduate), she decided it was good enough advice to heed. And for a first class, picking flowers was honestly not that bad—especially with how vast and plentiful this field of flowers was. Shiki felt absolutely giddy to be around so much colorful plant life. It just reminded her of home…

"You're having fun-ttebaze." And just like that, life threw Shiki another curve ball, except…something was wrong.

When Shiki turned around to see a fourteen-year-old girl with violet eyes and extremely long  **red**  hair, she almost wanted to scream. Because something was extremely wrong with this situation, seeing that this girl, who was the spitting image of Uzumaki Kushina, was using a different verbal tic.

" _What the fuck?!"_  Shiki stared wide-eyed at the redhead, who just smiled back at her.

"Yo!" she grinned. "I thought you were looking a little lonely, so I decided to drop by and say hello-ttebaze! You don't need any help, do you?"

Had this been someone else, Shiki wouldn't have been this disturbed. After all, she was already aware that the Chuunin instructor for this course had helpers. But that was not the case and this was just wrong…so very, **very**   _wrong_ —where the fuck was Rin?!

"If you need any help, I'm your girl!" the redhead continued to speak. "I'm here for first-years like you-ttebaze!"

" _Oh god, someone wake me up!"_  Shiki should have honestly taken into the account that she could have been reborn into an alternate universe of Naruto. It could happen…the changes could have been so subtle, that there could exist a Kushina with a different verbal tic.

Then Shiki noticed the beauty mark under the girl's right eye and abandoned her current train of thought. Could there really be an alternative universe where Kushina was nearly the same, except for the beauty mark and verbal tic? Shiki didn't really have to wait too long for an answer, as the redhead was quick to provide an answer in the form of an introduction.

"I'm Uzumaki Kushinada—you can call me Shina, but not Kushina!" Kushinada giggled. "And if you must know why, that's because I have a sister named Kushina!"

" _Well, fuck me sideways…"_  Life threw its curve ball at Shiki and it hit her right in the freaking face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like, I noticed I haven't given a specific period of time when Shiki died in her past life, so I'm gonna say a few days before the Boruto movie comes out. That cuts Shiki off from any information in that movie as well as anything involving the Naruto Hiden novel, Akatsuki Hiden, since it recently came out and I know jack squat about it. Not like it'll be of any use for someone born during Kakashi's generation (watch me eat those words later—knowing me, it'll happen).
> 
> Anyways, this kinda parallels to what happened to Chōko, since she died a few days before the final chapter of Naruto came out—not like it would have helped her, since she decided to read up on Jojo's Bizarre Adventure instead of catching up to Naruto. It is a decision she has come to regret and speaking of Jojo, it's the reason I took so long to update, because guess who decided to catch up on Jojo again—during the same fucking time I could have spent reading Naruto last year? Yo.
> 
> Man, I can't believe it's actually been a year since I've been started reading Jojo (I'm on part 6 with my lovely lady Jolyne and her Stand, Stone Free). You can expect me to slip in some references here and there, depending on the situation. That aside, let's discuss the elephant in the room that is Uzumaki Kushinada and yes, I went there with an Uzumaki OC. And remember what I said about this fic and Butterfly Child being connected. So that means that Kushinada exists there, and that means Naruto has an aunt. Whether or not she is alive, is up to question, but I'd suggest you keep an eye out for anything that could reveal her fate.
> 
> Also, Kakashi's mother kinda sorta ended up being the Jounin instructor to Shinjiro's team—it just happened, but like…has anyone noticed the moon theme going on with Team Sadako (Mochizuki means full moon)? Because it's there and that just kinda refers to Shinjiro's origins involving Persona 3, so I hope I didn't pour salt into any wounds, ahaha…please don't kill me.
> 
> And Butterfly Child readers will find a certain honey-colored Shiba Inu familiar. As for the Mochizuki clan…I suggest everyone look up Mochizuki Chiyome—she's the reason I created this clan and for good reason. And a hanamachi refers to the geisha district, meaning this clan runs okiya (geisha houses) and ochaya (teahouses). It'll all make sense when you look up Mochizuki Chiyome and if you guys haven't noticed, I really have a thing for anything involving geisha and oiran.
> 
> Fun fact, you can tell the difference between oiran and geisha from the way their obi is tied. Only yūjo have their obi tied at the front, because their work kinda requires them to have sex and the tie is meant to reflect that (it makes it easier to remove and redress). Yūjo, by the way, are women of pleasure (or prostitutes—it means the same thing), and oiran happen to be a type of yūjo, except what makes them so special is that they're entertainers, first and foremost.
> 
> Anyways Kashiki is still in the lead, with Shikito still in second, but slowly catching up, Riki is in third, but Kashito/Kashibo (Kakashi/Shiki/Obito) is close to tying with Riki. Honorable mentions go to Lady Deebo and Apocalypsebutterfly for the Kakashi/Shiki/Obito poly ship name suggestion. Do continue to ship to your heart's content! (Recall that this fic is posted on Fanfiction.net)
> 
> That's about it for now, and I hope you enjoyed the Kakashi POV, as well as everything in this chapter! That's about it for now, so until next time everyone!


	11. Change

It was extremely difficult for Shiki to ignore the proverbial elephant in the room that was Uzumaki Kushinada—especially since Rin had returned with a bundle of cosmos and decided to talk to Kushinada upon seeing the red-haired girl. And that was how Shiki found herself trying her hardest to ignore the lively conversation between her friend and the girl who shouldn't have existed, but somehow did…like Gai's older sister, Kai.

" _Fuck my life and these stupid curveballs."_  These anomalies were going to be the end of Shiki, if they kept happening. She was only fortunate that nothing much seemed to change, despite the fact that whatever information she had on the world of Naruto was more limited than she had previously assumed. So long as she understood the major events and the connections they had, she should be fine.  _"I hope…"_

Though, a more serious question arose from this situation and that was if Kushina had gotten kidnapped yet. It was such an important event, considering the eventual outcome that came from it—which was the romance between Minato and Kushina. Without that, Naruto would cease to exist and at this point, he was Shiki's backup plan to ensuring the future wasn't completely fucked.

…

Shiki was  _not_  going to make the mistake of relying on only her knowledge of the future, when she was quite aware that she was not in complete control of what went on around her— _especially_ considering the fragility of her knowledge's relevance. The only thing that was certain, should the future change so drastically, was Naruto's existence. He had the power to change the world and those around him.

All Shiki needed to do was prevent Obito from becoming Tobi and, while she was at it, keep Rin from dying. It was going to be difficult—especially with all the careful planning it was going to take. It was like setting up a row of dominos—she had to do it carefully so that when the time came for the pieces to fall over, the outcome would be set in stone. Depending on what she did, the outcome could be in her favor…or not.

Until then, the least Shiki could do was ensure that Team Minato got along better than they did in canon. It was going to take time, considering her involvement with them, but time was something she enough of… At least, she hoped.

Oh, how she hoped.

…

…

As if Kushinada's existence wasn't enough, Shiki nearly choked on her spit when she realized one of the girls she had seen exiting the Academy building was a five-year-old Shizune. And wherever Shizune was, Tsunade was never that far behind and it showed, from the fact that the extremely busty blonde was waiting for the little girl outside the Academy building once kunoichi classes were over. Shiki must have been staring (and she was) because Shinjiro noticed and asked her if anything was wrong.

"Who is that lady over there?" She had been caught and rather than lie about it, Shiki wanted to see if she could get any answers.

"That is Tsunade-sama," Shinjiro replied, honorifics revealing a sense of respect he held for the woman. "She is someone of remarkable skill when it pertains to medical ninjutsu. Why the sudden interest in her?"

The unasked question seemed to be  _why_  Shiki was suddenly interested in someone she didn't know.

"She looks sad…" Which was not a lie, because really, Tsunade did seem sad and Shiki was in the process of doing the math to figure out the chronological details of the events that have already occurred so far.

"Ah, I guess she does…" Shinjiro acknowledged this fact. "But who can blame her? It is not always easy when you lose someone who is precious to you."

" _Well, fuck…"_  Shiki tried to keep her expression as neutral as possible. It was certainly difficult, when she just found out that, based on context and the knowledge she already had, Shinjiro had been referring to Katō Dan, Tsunade's lover. Shizune was Dan's niece, daughter of his younger sister, so considering the girl's current age, Dan's sister must have died not too long ago.

And if Shiki went a little further than that, it meant that it hadn't been too long ago when Nawaki died. Which also meant that they were still in the midst of the Second Shinobi World War. As far as Shiki knew, she wasn't able to confirm anything in regards to that, since it would be some time before the war would be referred to as the Second Shinobi World War. That still didn't make her current situation any less discomforting.

"Sh-Should I ask more?" Shiki wasn't going to take her chances. She was only four and as much as she wanted confirmations, she didn't want to have nightmares.

"Maybe when you are older," Shinjiro replied. "But now would not be a good time to burden you with the tragedies of others."

That was all Shiki needed to hear and she was going to leave it at that. For now, Shiki just wanted to go home and show Kunie all the flowers she had picked during class. Honestly, Shiki had no idea why her cousin disliked kunoichi classes so much.

…

The rest of the week went by as usual for Shiki, with the exception that was the introduction of kunoichi classes to her schedule. One would think she would find something annoying with the fact that kunoichi classes were held five out of six days of the week after regular classes. Of course, that might have been the case if Shiki actually  _had_  something to do after school. As withdrawn as Shiki was, it was quite easy for her to grow immerse with her surroundings when they were unfamiliar to her.

Such is the result of the upbringing she had, growing up within the confines of the Aburame compound. Shiki was hoping to eventually broaden her horizons, but for now, she was content with what she had. She at least wanted to prepare herself for any surprise that would come her way.

Getting whacked in the face with Uzumaki Kushinada's existence did wonders to Shiki's sense of stability. Five days had already passed, and Shiki had not yet adjusted to the redhead's presence. Learning that Kushinada was Kushina's older twin sister did nothing to help, but it  _did_  explain the nearly identical appearance.

By the end of the week, Shiki had been looking forward to going home immediately after class had been dismissed. Then her father pushed her towards Sakumo and Kakashi before leaving on his own, carrying Obito on his back…just as he had done the week before. And that was how Shiki soon found herself at the Hatake residence for a second time.

She wondered if these visits were going to be a reoccurring happening as she searched for Kakashi throughout the massive mansion. How she regretted ever suggesting a game of hide-and-seek when it was her turn to hide. Of course, Shiki should have thought twice before she decided to hide in a box meant for storing clothes.

As soon as she had closed the lid over herself, Shiki realized that she should have picked a better location that  _didn't_  remind her of the Japanese horror games she had recalled from her past, _Kuon_  being especially prominent. Because at that moment, the Hatake residence no longer gave Shiki a sense of loneliness, but rather, a sense of uneasiness with how empty it was. And that was what Shiki had to endure for the next thirty minutes until Kakashi had found her. The paranoia had not been worth the fun. Kakashi did  _nothing_  to help—not with the way he played. The little shit thought it would be funny to walk around the room, making sure that every movement he made was audible before leaving the room…only to silently walk back over to the clothing box that he had  _purposely_  overlooked and abruptly lift the lid off the box, effectively scaring the crap out of Shiki.

At first, Shiki was completely silent, just staring at Kakashi with an unreadable expression on her face (not unlike Kakashi's). After a minute or two, Shiki tumbled out of the box and landed flat on her ass, her legs splayed out onto the floor. She stayed that way for a few moments before Kakashi asked, "Are you okay?"

And that was when Shiki started crying out of seemingly nowhere, catching Kakashi completely off-guard as he wasn't expecting any of this, even though he was partially to blame for causing Shiki's distress.  _Partially_ , in the sense that another reason Shiki had started crying was because her legs had fallen asleep and it  _hurt_  more than usual. It was an uncomfortable situation altogether that made Shiki felt as though she had reached her limit.

* * *

…

…

Poor Kakashi had no idea how to handle the situation, looking visibly distressed as he watched Shiki cry. He thought of getting his father, but he didn't want to leave Shiki alone. He tried calling out for his father, but Kakashi wasn't too sure if Sakumo was capable of hearing him, considering how far into the mansion he and Shiki currently were.

Sakumo might have had enhanced hearing and smell—a side effect of being contracted with the dog summon—but Kakashi wasn't too sure about its range. Not knowing what to do, Kakashi just sat down next to Shiki and started patting her on the head, hoping it would change her current state of emotion. It didn't.

…

…

* * *

About five minutes later, Sakumo came across the sight of his visibly distressed son sitting next to his crying friend. The look on Kakashi's face as he stared at Sakumo was one that screamed, "Help."

Sakumo had no idea what to make of this scene. All he recalled was hearing Kakashi call out for him in such an  _upset_  tone that made him stop what he was doing, which was making tea, and just run into the depths of the mansion, where he was quick to pick up on the fact that Shiki was crying. It was a stressful experience overall, considering that Sakumo had to rely on his hearing to figure out just where the hell Shiki was. It certainly eased his nerves a bit when he found Kakashi with Shiki…

So…his son's friend was crying…he should do something—yeah…

* * *

…

…

Twice already, it's happened, Obito mused as he ate the food in the bento box he had opened. For a second time, Shinjiro had taken him home and given him a scroll full of bento boxes. And there was probably enough food to last him the weekend…just like last week. N-Not that Obito was hoping there was enough food…maybe.

Obito was just… _content_. He was content with the fact that he wasn't eating convenience store food, as he did so often. Though, as content as he was, he still couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt that was plaguing him. Just what was it about himself that made Shinjiro give him such a chance?

" _Why does he keep doing this?"_  Obito bit down on his chopsticks in frustration. He didn't deserve this…

It's been two weeks and Obito still hadn't apologized. Kakashi was definitely not letting him forget that fact, either. But Shiki never mentioned it. She never did. Rin sometimes did, but only in private and as a means of trying to push Obito towards Shiki.

They were close…ish. They were closer than last week, which was saying something, but it still wasn't much in general. Obito still refused to touch Shiki and Shiki understood clearly, avoiding any physical contact whatsoever with him. It didn't feel right…it really didn't feel right.

And yet, why did Obito allow it to continue?

…

Obito removed his chopsticks from his mouth and started eating again, pushing all thoughts aside in order to eat without any issues.

* * *

…

…

Shiki spent a good half hour just glaring at Kakashi as she nibbled on strawberry-flavored daifuku, of which Sakumo had brought out in hopes of making Shiki feel better. It made her stop crying, so that definitely was an improvement. Kakashi was just awkwardly avoiding eye contact, not knowing what to do now that he realized it was his fault he had made Shiki cry.

Shiki had made it very clear that Kakashi had scared her (quite badly, at that) and she was currently holding a small grudge. For the first time in quite a while, Shiki was acting like her physical age and she was not ashamed of it. Sakumo honestly thought it was adorable, but Shiki quickly proved her point that she wanted to be taken seriously when the older male suddenly found his skin getting pricked by her kikaichū. It wasn't exactly painful, just… _annoying_ —like a fly that had entered the room and was just getting into everyone's faces.

By the time Shinjiro had returned, Shiki was in a somewhat better mood, though she was surprisingly showing a huge aversion to touch when Shinjiro tried to pick her up. This worried Shinjiro and Sakumo was quick to explain what had happened while he was gone. Long story short, Shinjiro learned something new about his daughter. Everyone did.

Eventually, Kakashi found the courage to apologize, to which Shiki begrudgingly accepted. To show that she no longer held a grudge of any sort, she gave Kakashi the last of the daifuku. And even though Kakashi wasn't a fan of sweets, he still ate it. Sakumo was immensely proud of his son and Shinjiro was just happy his daughter was no longer rejecting his touch when he lifted her off the floor to place her in his lap.

"I wouldn't blame you for wanting to put an end to these visits—just putting that out there," Sakumo suddenly said.

"That is quite fine, because I do not plan on ending these visits," Shinjiro said firmly as he gently ran his fingers through his daughter's hair. "What say you, Shiki?"

"No more hide-and-seek…" Shiki puffed up her cheeks as she allowed herself to finally relax, having been so tense the entire time.

"But it was your idea…" Kakashi awkwardly protested.

"I know." Shiki wasn't going to deny it. "I was telling myself that."

"Ah…I see…" Kakashi nodded his head.

"And stop watching us during lunchtime—you can sit with us, you know…" Shiki was honestly tired of seeing the silver-haired boy just watching her, Rin, and Obito from afar.

"Okay," was all Kakashi said, not knowing what else to say.

And when classes commenced the following week, Obito and Rin were quite astonished to see Kakashi joining them for lunch. Shiki was even more surprised—shocked, even, considering that she had never expected Kakashi to actually  _listen_  to her. Apart from distance (or lack thereof), nothing much really changed since Kakashi still preferred to observe than talk.

Shiki didn't mind, though, as her current concerns were focused on the notice she had received from the Academy during the weekend. The notice was specifically about Shiki's kunoichi classes and her current progress that  _somehow_  existed. Said progress was deemed proficient enough to have earned her a recommendation to attend a more advanced kunoichi class.

Apparently, being friendly and helpful wasn't all that Kushinada was doing, as she, like the other helpers, had been keeping a watchful eye on any student that showed notable progress. That was how Shiki had received her recommendation. Even so, the notice was merely there to inform Shiki about her options. In the end, whether or not she attended the advanced class was up to her.

The problem that Shiki had was that she had yet to make a decision. It was only until she was minutes away from being late to either kunoichi class that Shiki made her decision. So while most girls in her year were still struggling to memorize the complicated language of flowers, Shiki had an  _engaging_  time learning about the varying toxicity levels of plants and flowers.

Initially, Shiki had been hesitant about her decision— _especially_  when she discovered that she was the only first-year who had actually attended the class. Everyone else had stayed behind, with the exception of Rin, who would have gone with Shiki, had she received a notice.

_This fucking sucks._

What really prevented Shiki from counting down the hours until class was dismissed—which she was planning on doing, due to her bad luck—was how friendly the other girls were to her. The instructor, a bubbly young woman with tangerine-colored hair by the name of Mochizuki Meme, was nice enough as well. She was quite the airhead, for someone who was entrusted to teach an entire class about the toxicity of plants and flowers. And yet, there was something intimidating about Meme-sensei as she gave a coherent explanation about the uses of certain plants and flowers in poisons…of which had been said in a cutesy manner.

Nobody laughed, for as unreliable as she seemed, Meme-sensei was not to be fucked with, since it was pretty obvious from the way she spoke that she had used her knowledge to  _kill_ …various times and she wasn't going to let anyone forget about it, either. It definitely gave Shiki goosebumps when she came to that realization. It just reminded her what people in this world were capable of with the appropriate training.

And that was how Shiki's first day in an advanced kunoichi class went. It wasn't a bad experience, though it did leave Shiki wondering whether or not she should continue attending the class. So she decided to talk it over with Rin the next day, during lunchtime. So while Kakashi and Obito were having an unofficial staring contest, Shiki was asking Rin for input.

"Well, Momo-sensei said that anyone who goes to the advanced classes is excused from next week's exam," Rin stated. "So I don't think you have much to worry about if you keep going."

"Is that so…" Shiki wasn't aware of that and considering her hatred for exams… "I guess I will keep going."

"Wow, you're kinda lazy," Obito remarked, his face turning a brilliant shade of red a moment later when he realized what it was he just said. "I-I mean—!"

"And you call me rude," Kakashi deadpanned.

Obito sputtered, not knowing whether to tell Kakashi to screw off or apologize to Shiki. He did neither, when Shiki suddenly started laughing. She was far too amused with Obito's comment to take any offense—not when she actually agreed with him. After all, Shiki would do anything so she only had to put up with the Academy's monthly exams—which was also next week.

…

If Shiki hadn't already been used to what she had to put up with in her past life, as a university student, she would have been complaining (albeit, mentally) about taking an exam so soon after school had just started. Though she would be lying if she said she wasn't pissed off when she heard that it was an Academy-exclusive occurrence. Civilians certainly had it easier…

* * *

…

…

Another week went by, and for a third time, Shinjiro had taken Obito home. For a third time, Obito found himself eating the food Shinjiro had made for him. For a third time, Obito was stuck feeling conflicted with the treatment he was receiving. Three weeks…and he still hadn't apologized.

Most people would hold grudges, but Shiki didn't. Sometimes, Obito thought she was just too nice…too nice to him, at least. The same went with Rin and Kakashi…he was just a little shit, but…Obito didn't hate him. Dislike, yes, but not hate.

It had only been three weeks and yet, it felt as though a lot had changed for Obito. Slowly, his body was growing accustomed to the physical activity it experienced daily. Eventually, he might be able to walk home without any help. The thought of being able to walk home on his own was enough to make Obito smile…then he realize that would mean Kakashi and Sakumo wouldn't be walking him home anymore. Shinjiro wouldn't be taking over for Sakumo and giving Obito food, like he did at the end of each week.

A frown crossed Obito's face as the thought settled in.

…

" _But that won't be for a while."_  Obito tried smiling again, ignoring how forced it felt as he brought the empty bento box over to the sink.  _"I should sit next to them during class next week…"_

* * *

…

…

Kakashi made a face as he watched Shiki slide across the wooden floorboards of the veranda. He was wondering why she had even asked if he had any socks she could borrow and now that he had an idea why, he could only wonder why she had been expecting him to do the same as her. This went on for half an hour, in which Kakashi took to sitting down and just watching Shiki. He arched his brow when his father decided to join Shiki. With nothing better to do and since his father was doing it as well, Kakashi finally gave in and joined in on the fun.

…

…

* * *

When Shinjiro finally showed up, he stared at the scene before him for a good five minutes before walking away. Fifteen minutes later, he could be seen wiping off the dust off the floorboards, having directed Shiki, Kakashi, and Sakumo to find someplace else to slide. It was a miracle that the dust hadn't triggered an asthma attack in Shiki, but just because it hadn't happened yet, didn't mean Shinjiro was going to risk his daughter's health…even if it wasn't his home.

And though it wasn't his home, Shinjiro wasn't the type of person to allow anyone to live in such a dusty place. Really, Sakumo needed to start putting in requests for some assistance in the form of D-rank missions. The Hatake residence was just too large for only two people to maintain without any assistance. Even the Aburame compound had a designated cleaning schedule to ensure the compound stayed clean at all times.

Each time Shinjiro directed the three to slide somewhere else, they always seemed to find an even dustier place that Shinjiro felt the need to clean after finishing up the current location he was cleaning. It was a process that ended up repeating itself until Sakumo had to stop Shinjiro because it had gotten so late. By then,  _everyone_  had gotten dirty.

"Eheh, well this is embarrassing…" Sakumo ran his hand through his hair. "I didn't think this place could be  _this_  dusty…would you like to use the bath? I think I have some clothes around your size you that you could wear—the same goes with Shiki."

Shinjiro looked inquiringly at Sakumo before looking at himself and then at Shiki. Their jackets weren't exactly as white as they had been earlier during the day, due to the dust dirtying the once pristine-looking cloth. The fact that Shiki was covered in dust was also a bit alarming, due to her asthma. And when Shiki gave her jacket an experimental pat that sent out a small cloud of dust into the air, Shinjiro decided to take up Sakumo's offer.

"Speaking of bath, you need one as well, Kakashi," Sakumo remarked as he grabbed Kakashi by the back of his shirt. "You don't mind sharing, do you?"

…

"If this is a ploy to see my eyes, just know you will be disappointed with what you see." Much like his entire clan, Shinjiro wasn't one to show his eyes to just anyone. Aburame only showed their eyes to people they trusted, due to how sensitive their eyes were to light. And Sakumo just so happened to be someone Shinjiro trusted.

"I was just asking if you didn't mind sharing—wait, so you actually trust me?!" Sakumo was shocked.

"Well, I did not say no…" was all Shinjiro as he watched as Kakashi slipped out of his shirt, thus escaping whatever hold Sakumo had on him. "Also, your son is escaping."

Sakumo blinked and looked at the now empty shirt he held in his hand. "Kakashi—get back here!"

* * *

…

…

If Shiki had to guess a reason for Kakashi's sudden change in behavior, she could only assume that it involved the removal of his mask in front of others. Kakashi was probably accustomed to doing so around his father, but not in front of Shinjiro and especially not Shiki, considering Kakashi's behavior when she was looking at his baby pictures. Still, if it meant delaying what seemed to be an inevitable shared bathing session, she was good.

Because Shiki had to remove her goggles each time she bathed and with her light sensitivity preventing her from opening her eyes, she had to rely on her father for help. It really sucked and she was waiting for the day when she could finally bathe herself without any help. She really missed the luxury of independence she had in her past life—the same independence that she had taken for granted.

It was at least easier for Shiki to keep herself from seeing anything she did not wish to see in the bath, due to her inability to open her eyes. That was one perk to having photophobia…or so she told herself. Her past life really made it difficult at times to adjust to this world's culture, even though she was already aware of it through the manga she had read and the anime she had watched.

…

…

* * *

There was honestly something amusing to seeing Sakumo place a towel on Kakashi's face when the boy kept protesting how he didn't want to take a bath—even though he was already in the bathroom. It sure made Shinjiro chuckle as he began to lather shampoo into his daughter's hair.

"What is so funny?" Shiki asked, unable to see anything with her eyes closed.

"Kakashi-kun does not like showing his face to others," Shinjiro explained. "That is why he did not want to take a bath, so Sakumo-san covered his face with a towel to compromise."

"Is that so?" Shiki sounded rather amused. "That quite is funny."

Considering the trouble Sakumo went to catch Kakashi, having to rely on Koko for help, it certainly did seem funny to anyone who wasn't Sakumo or Kakashi. To Sakumo, he was just exasperated with how difficult his son was being. To Kakashi…he was just annoyed with having to admit defeat to being unable to successfully escape his father in the form of being forced to take a bath.

* * *

…

…

Shiki shifted nervously in the gray yukata she was now wearing. She had never felt so exposed and it was only because she wasn't wearing her white jacket. Her face heated up when Kakashi sat down next to her. At the moment, the two were in the living room, sitting at the table in the center of the room. Their fathers were currently figuring out what to do with their dirty clothes.

While that happened, an awkward silence ensued between the two of them. There really was nothing much to talk about after that bath. At least, that's what Shiki thought.

Kakashi felt differently when he finally spoke, saying, "You saw nothing."

That ended the silence between the two of them and gave Shiki enough courage to speak. "How could I have seen anything when my eyes were closed the entire time? I should be saying that instead of you."

"I saw nothing either," Kakashi admitted. "Not your eyes nor your dad's."

"Of course not—your face was covered by a towel." Shiki giggled.

"At least I don't have long hair that makes me look creepy when it's all over my face," Kakashi retorted.

"Ah, I guess my hair does make me look creepy…" Shiki wasn't going to deny that. Her long, black hair and pale skin made her look like an onryō that came out of a Japanese horror movie. "Did I scare you?"

"N-No." Kakashi averted his gaze, trying his best to stay cool.

"Liar," Shiki said with a small smile.

"Well, you shouldn't have popped out of the bath water like that." Was Kakashi actually accusing her of scaring him on purpose?

Stifling a laugh, Shiki said, "I apologize, then…"

"You don't have to apologize," Kakashi stated. "I scared you, and you scared me…I'd say we're even now."

"I guess so." Shiki laughed.

…

"Um…" Kakashi furrowed his brow.

Shiki tilted her head to the side. "Yes?"

"Thank you for being my friend," Kakashi said quietly.

Shiki stared at Kakashi for a moment. Then she smiled and patted him on the head. "You're welcome!"

* * *

…

…

There was something particularly strange to waking up the next morning, knowing that there were two more people in the mansion than usual. At least, that's how it was for Kakashi. Shinjiro and Shiki were supposed to have left last night, but a conversation between Sakumo and Shinjiro led from one thing to another and before they even knew it, Sakumo was setting up extra futons for Shiki and Shinjiro.

It was oddly comforting, just knowing that there were more people in the mansion. Kakashi almost didn't know what to do. He usually bugged his father to teach him new techniques on days like these, but not today—not when his friend was here with her father. He felt like doing something else other than training with his father…

" _Maybe I can teach her something?"_  Kakashi thought as he stared at the ceiling above him.  _"I should ask her."_

Though by trying to wake Shiki up and ask her such a question, Kakashi ended up getting smacked in the face with a pillow. That definitely made his morning… _not_. With his left eye twitching slightly, Kakashi pulled the pillow out of Shiki's hand and decided to hit her over the head with it. And that was how Shinjiro and Sakumo woke up to their children fighting over a freaking pillow.

…

For the rest of the day, Kakashi tried not to look annoyed as he tried to show Shiki how to correctly throw a kunai while the two were inside the dojo. He might have stared at her longer than he had intended, but only because he was not used to seeing her wear a white kimono. It was just so… _weird_ , seeing her without that jacket on. It was just as weird as seeing Shinjiro in that dark blue kimono Sakumo had lent him.

Speaking of the two, they were currently washing their clothes from the other day. Shinjiro had been quite adamant in ensuring that everyone's clothes were clean by the end of the day. Sakumo had never been so intimidated…

_Thump!_

Kakashi blinked when the kunai Shiki had just thrown embedded itself within the red circle of the wooden target. For someone who was just barely learning how to use kunai, she was certainly doing better than he did when his father had started teaching him. That was what he thought until Shiki mentioned that her uncle had already started her on target practice.

"Hey, what is with that face?" Shiki asked, looking closely at Kakashi's face.

"It's nothing." Kakashi turned away, trying his best to hide the disappointment on his face—how much of it was showing, anyways. "Can you use shuriken?"

"No…not yet," Shiki replied. "Shibi-nii-san told me not to mess with shuriken until he showed me how to properly handle them. So do not get any ideas."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kakashi said innocently, trying to look completely unaffected by the suspicious stare Shiki gave him.

"Hey, are you ever going to get along with Obito-kun?" Shiki suddenly asked him.

Kakashi blinked again. "Maybe when he apologizes…"

Obito really needed to apologize…

"Why are you concerned with that?" Shiki questioned him. "It should only matter to me."

"It's because it's rude that he hasn't apologized yet," Kakashi simply said. "You're too nice sometimes."

It worried Kakashi, because someone might take advantage of Shiki.

"I guess I am." Shiki laughed, even though Kakashi felt she shouldn't. "So how confident are you about this week's exam?"

Kakashi arched his brow. "Don't you have to take one in those kunoichi classes you go to?"

Shiki laughed. "Nope—not with the advanced classes I have been taking! I got excused."

"Ah, I see…well, I'm not worried." Kakashi had studied enough, even though tomorrow, Nene-sensei was going to start reviewing the lessons she had taught during the past three weeks. It was nothing too difficult, just a way of assessing each student's progress.

Depending on how it went, it could determine whether a student would stay in Nene-sensei's class, or transfer to another class that was more suitable for them. After all, her class was amongst the few that were specifically meant for advanced students with the highest potential to become shinobi. It was only fitting that the youngest Chuunin instructor was trusted with what could be considered the Academy's academically advanced students.

…

"I hope you pass," Kakashi decided to tell Shiki.

"Oh…thank you!" Shiki smiled.

Kakashi truly hoped that Shiki was just as advanced with her regular classes as she was with her kunoichi classes. After all, he wouldn't know what to do if he suddenly sat next to an empty seat in class. Not that he would ever say anything about that. She didn't have to know.

* * *

…

…

The next day, after regular classes, Shiki found out the hard way that, while she was excused from one exam, she still had to take another for the advanced kunoichi classes she was attending. It was quite the slap in the face for Shiki, as she was already having a good day, in which Obito finally sat next to her, Rin, and Kakashi during class…then Meme-sensei called up her name.

Meme-sensei was kind enough to remind Shiki that she was a first-year taking an advanced class that she was going to take again at a later year. If Shiki were fail the exam this time, she wouldn't have to worry about the grade tarnishing her records—as long as she made up the grade eventually. That did not mean Shiki wasn't going to try her best, because she was the type to try and weasel her way out of extra work in the future.

…

Her laziness had a strange way of motivating her. Shiki had over twenty years to discover that in her past life. And it didn't seemed to be something that was going to change, either, in this life. So long as it didn't endanger her life, Shiki did not mind at all. That still did not mean she was going to enjoy taking an exam. She will  _never_  enjoy taking an exam.

Not after that hell that was college, anyways…

…

…

* * *

As the week went by, Rin was honestly happy with how much more comfortable Shiki was, with and without Kakashi around. Obito finally sat with them during regular classes, which was quite noteworthy. And while she did miss having Shiki around during kunoichi classes, Rin was just proud that Shiki was doing so well.

It was still going to take time before Kakashi and Obito got along, however. And it would definitely take more time before Obito was even able to tolerate Shiki's sudden touch, as accidental as it usually was, without freezing up so stiffly. Speaking of Obito, Rin was noticing something rather peculiar in the Uchiha, considering he sat right next to her in class.

There was something perplexing about the way Obito sometimes would ask her what Nene-sensei had wrote on the chalkboard…even though Rin was sure he had already read what was on the board already. It couldn't be because Nene-sensei's writing was illegible, because she wrote quite neatly in a way that just about anyone could read. Nene-sensei also made sure that everyone could see the board so clearly, so that seat placement didn't become an issue.

And when Rin had asked Obito about the situation, he just said he could see. He just wanted to make sure he read it right, as he put it. The way Obito looked anxious, getting so defensive when Kakashi took a sudden interest in his comment, certainly said a lot. While Rin wasn't so sure what to make of what she had seen, Shiki's observant expression seemed to show that she knew something. What it was, Shiki didn't say, but she was probably taking Obito into consideration. Which is why Shiki refrained from saying anything at all.

And as much as Obito trusted her, Rin knew that he actually trusted Shiki more. He just wasn't aware of it. He was aware that Shiki went to great lengths so she didn't make him uncomfortable. The idea that he trusted her for that exact reason, however, just seemed to pass his mind.

" _For now, at least,"_  Rin added mentally as she helped Obito with a math problem. She was almost confused as to why Obito asked her for help, when she was certain she had seen him effortlessly answering math problems without any issues whatsoever. That was until she realized that the current math problem that he had asked for help on was a word problem.

Really, Rin needed to get Shiki to try and find out what Obito's problem was, because at this rate, whatever was going on with him was going to stay under wraps. And if it kept up, Obito was going to have issues as the school year progressed.

For now, Rin would just ensure that Obito at least had a good understanding of Nene-sensei's review. She could only hope he wouldn't have any issues with exam at the end of the week…

* * *

…

…

Sometimes, Obito hated how difficult he could be when it came to his pride. If he hadn't been so proud, than maybe…he wouldn't be struggling not to make a scene as he tried to correctly answer the questions on his paper. It was difficult, but seeing how easily Shiki, Rin, and Kakashi were filling out their papers almost annoyed him. He couldn't ask for help, considering the point of an exam was to do his own work without any assistance. Otherwise, he was going to get yelled at by Nene-sensei, who already called out a student for trying to cheat.

Obito hated not knowing how to read as well as everyone else. He  _hated_  how he had fallen behind because of the difficulties he had. He was really glad that Nene-sensei hadn't assigned homework just yet. She probably would as the year progressed. That's what usually happened.

" _I hate exams,"_  Obito decided that would be his opinion of them after this experience. He considered himself lucky that he didn't have to worry about kunoichi classes, like Rin and Shiki. And even though Shiki already took an exam for a class that was much more advanced than the one Rin was taking, she seemed so indifferent whether or not she did well. How she was able to something so easily, such as that, was beyond Obito's comprehension.

But Obito would be lying if he said he wasn't envious of Shiki's intellect. She was the type of child the Uchiha clan coveted. She was most likely going to be amongst those who scored highly after Nene-sensei graded everyone's exams. And Obito…he was probably going to be dead last. Just as his cousins had predicted he would.

It took every bit of strength for Obito not to break down there and then as he looked over the various blanks on his papers as Nene-sensei told everyone to turn in their papers.

…

When Obito was carried home that day, Shinjiro had asked him if anything was wrong. Instead of being honest, Obito lied, saying it was nothing. So when he was left home alone, with a scroll full of the bento boxes Shinjiro had made for him, he had his regrets. As he sat down to eat, having made a habit of doing so at the end of each week, he found his thoughts drifting over to how much had happened during the month.

Rin was still his only friend, as far as he knew. He wasn't too sure about Shiki, but…she didn't hate him. Nor did she dislike him, as he did with Kakashi. She didn't even tolerate him…she just accepted him. Even though he had yet to fully accept her with open arms.

Was there…was there something redeemable about him—to be treated this way, despite how he had acted? It was a question that lingered in his thoughts as he continued to eat. Pretty soon, it became difficult to swallow the food in his mouth as tears began to well up in his eyes. As he pushed up his goggles onto his forehead, in order to wipe away the tears in his eyes, Obito found himself unable to choke back a sob.

And then, for the first time in many months since he had a nightmare that he had to endure on his own, due to living on his own, Obito started crying. Crying never really helped—especially not when he was alone. He knew that, but that still didn't stop the tears that kept coming.

He had his chance, and he passed it up because of his pride. That same, damn pride that had formed as a result of how he had been treated by the rest of the Uchiha clan—it really wasn't worth being alone. He really wished he had a family like Rin, Shiki, and Kakashi. A family that was there for him—to listen to his issues, as the elderly couple did when he was much younger. He missed living with them, but he couldn't move back with them. This apartment was his home now.

And it was so lonely…

…

…

The next week began the start of a new month, in which Obito came across his classmates as they cluttered around the chalkboard, their names all listed in a particular order with a number, a score, right next to it. Obito was not at all surprised to see his name at the end of the list. He was at least happy to see that he wasn't dead last, but the fact still stood that he was an Uchiha, as the others who scored as low as he did were quick to realize.

Dead last…that certainly seemed to be his new nickname, from the way the others kept poking fun at him for scoring so lowly. He appreciated how the others, mostly clan kids who knew better, said nothing. All he could do now, until class began, was wait for Rin, Shiki, and Kakashi to show up. He did his best to seem unaffected by his classmates as they mocked him.

He was surprised when Shiki, of all people, stood up for him when she found out the others were picking on him, shortly after she had arrived.

"Picking on someone for scoring so lowly despite being from a prestigious clan really does say a lot when you scored lower than he did," Shiki began, somehow managing to say what she had said with an unwavering voice. "And if my assumption is correct, most—if not all—of you are from civilian families. That certainly does reveal quite a lot of insecurities you seem to have for being so quick to pick on a child from a clan."

The reactions were instantaneous, with so many of their classmates' faces turning a noticeable shade of red. Some sputtered, trying to think up a comeback to Shiki's statement. Instead, all they received was Morino Ibiki confirming that what Shiki had said was in fact true.

"You ought to watch your behavior, because it's going to bite you in the ass if you keep it up," Sarutobi Asuma said bluntly, as Yūhi Kurenai nodded her head in agreement.

"Obito could one day become your teammate, you know!" Rin pointed out as she placed a reassuring hand on Obito's shoulder. She had arrived not too long ago and had been quick to pick up on the context of the situation.

"I also wouldn't be so quick to react, because chances are, after today, you'll be attending a different class," Kakashi, surprisingly, remarked as he took his seat by the window. He had only just arrived, but already figured out the current situation. "Your scores will determine whether or not you stay in this class. That is to say, if you don't decide to quit because you can't keep up with everyone else."

"I'm gonna have to agree with Hatake Kakashi on this one," Nene-sensei said, surprising a majority of the class with her sudden appearance. "Because I have the list right here with me with new class assignments for a lot of you—so don't get too comfy in your seats."

A rule of thumb at the Academy was that it was best to take whatever mockery you wanted to make of someone outside the classroom, due to situations such as these. Because not everyone was so indifferent to bullying of any sort and outside of the classroom, a student was expected to fight their own battles. Such is the way of the Academy, as everyone found out eventually.

There was no recovery from what everyone who had been picking on Obito had gone through. Especially not after how Nene-sensei called up their name and gave them directions to their new classroom and instructor. Anyone who was left behind still had to deal with the shame of knowing that they could have been amongst those who had left the classroom. The classroom was startling emptier than it had been at the beginning. Throughout the previous month, it had been gradually getting emptier and emptier, as students dropped out, unable to tolerate the physical activity that had occurred after lunchtime. The classroom had only gotten even emptier after Nene-sensei went through the list.

"For the remaining lot of you—just know that things are going to get even harder for the rest of you," Nene-sensei said firmly. "Come tomorrow, you'll be seeing a lot of new faces. Whether or not any of you from this class will be graduating from the Academy together is determined by how hard you work. Congratulations for managing to stay in my class."

There was no way for Obito to feel content, despite scoring so lowly and somehow managing to stay in Nene-sensei's class. Because he knew that the reason he was still here, was because he was from the Uchiha clan. It would be considered an insult if an Uchiha wasn't attending an advanced class, as Nene-sensei's class appeared to be—no matter how hard it would be for said Uchiha.

Such pride was what was going to be the start of Obito's hellish time at the Academy. As if it wasn't hellish enough already…Obito was at least glad that Shiki, Rin, and even Kakashi, had his back. If he hadn't already cried a few days ago, he would have most likely cried then. But Obito still had his pride, as annoying as it was.

Maybe, just maybe…these three could help him out. But before that, he had something to say to Shiki that he couldn't say now—not during Nene-sensei's class. So during lunchtime, as the four of them sat down at their usual spot under a tree, Obito looked at Shiki.

"Uh…Shiki?" Obito bit his lip when Shiki looked at him.

"Hmm?" Shiki tilted her head to the side.

Obito inhaled and exhaled. "Bugs are gross."

"I guess some of them are," Shiki remarked.

"And you're covered in bugs," Obito continued.

"That I am," Shiki simply said.

"But you're not gross…" It wasn't much of an apology, Obito found himself thinking, but…it was better than not saying anything. He wanted to at least make sure that she knew that he had never meant to call  _her_  gross.

And when Shiki laughed, Obito was confused…then she said, "I figured that it was just my kikaichū you were talking about on that day, so I understand."

Obito practically felt his heart skip a beat when Shiki had said that. "Umm…!"

"If you're going to apologize, just say it!" Rin said as she nudged Obito. "C'mon!"

Obito felt his face heat up as he stammered. "U-Umm…I-I'm—"

"It's okay!" Shiki assured with a nervous smile on her face. "You don't have to apologize right now."

"You're too nice, Shiki…" Kakashi didn't seem all too amused as he focused his eyes on Obito.

Shiki laughed awkwardly. "I guess you're right—ummm…"

Shiki trailed off as a luminescent blush crossed her face. Just now, it had occurred to her that she had dropped her usual polite manner of speaking for a more casual one. It was just like when she commented on how much shorter Obito was than her. Personally, Obito had no idea why she made such a big deal out of talking so casually. Then again, every Aburame he had met so far all talked the same.

Some of his relatives were like them—his female relatives, especially. Personally, Obito thought it was a pain in the ass to talk so formally…unless he was talking to the elderly couple—they were his only exception. It was at least respectful enough of him to do so after all they did for him.

Shiki, on the other hand, didn't have to act so formally towards him—not after the way he treated her. It was better this way.

"Hey—it's okay to talk casually, you know…" Obito said calmly as he averted his gaze. "You don't have to be so formal…"

"It's just…ah…I'm used to it…" Shiki's face just seemed to get redder and redder as she continued to speak. "I am sorry—it is just too embarrassing for me."

_Clap!_

Rin managed to bring attention to herself by clapping her hands together once. She smiled as she looked at the three of them, saying, "We'll get past that eventually! For now, let's just eat!"

Quite often, Obito found himself extremely grateful for having Rin as a friend. Somehow, Rin always managed to keep a sense of stability between the four of them, ensuring that nothing ever escalated. Obito honestly never wanted to think what could happen if she wasn't with them…

…

…

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I like made a page on my tumblr that keeps track of all the links I posted, you can find it here: http://klonoadreams.tumblr.com/fanfiction
> 
> So the new Boruto movie is out, but as far as I know, the only thing I'm aware of is that one chapter about the Naruto became a Hokage and holy shit, Uzumaki Himawari is freaking brutal with the Jūken—also, she can use the Byakugan and that is freaking awesome! In any case, you can consider 8-6-15 the day Shiki died in her past life. She has seen that chapter involving Himawari, but not all of it, as she only knows of the summary, like me.
> 
> So it's kinda been over two weeks since I last updated and all I can say is that I finally caught up with Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (and it only took me a year). Then I found out that Gatchaman Crowds season two is out and caught up the instant I found out (Gatchaman Crowds is an awesome anime you should watch—Hajime is like the best female protagonist you will ever come across!).
> 
> That aside, let's talk about this chapter and yes, Kushinada is Kushina's older twin sister, which explains the near identical appearance. Again, you really wanna keep your eye on her since Shiki did ask a rather important question—that being whether or not Kushina has been kidnapped already. Oh, and at this rate, Uzumaki Naruto is the ultimate back-up plan for any SI OC born during Kakashi's generation. Really, just saying this considering his importance to the plot and just…you're really screwed without him. In terms that I would usually use in Butterfly Child, he's the point of normalization. So no matter the deviations, his existence provides a balance.
> 
> Also, let's face it, whatever job Shiki had put upon herself isn't exactly easy, despite her knowledge. It would be a huge mistake for her to rely entirely upon it, considering that any changes to the plot where she currently is at could drastically change the future. The most she can do, at this point, is ensure that Team Minato get along better than they did in canon. So far, she's at least making progress to ensuring that becomes a reality.
> 
> And at this point, the most I can say about Obito is that he has a learning disability. Which, if you take into consideration how Japan feels about people with disabilities in general, you can assume the type of attitude the Uchiha clan has, considering they, as well as the Hyuuga, are more traditional-like. Never mind that I have already established that equal opportunity is something that exists amongst the shinobi life—do refer to Butterfly Child for this. All I can say is that Koe no Katachi (a manga that I highly recommend everyone read—prepare your feels, though) will give you an idea. That aside, what learning disability it is that Obito has is something I've been hinting at in this chapter, but I won't specify what it is just yet, so feel free to speculate in the meantime.
> 
> Oh, and I've been getting reviews saying that Obito had his grandmother, but that's an anime-only thing and considering that it was a very recent anime episode, consider her non-existent in this story…and any other Naruto fics I will most likely write (my muses are all over the place). I'm under the impression Obito grew up on his own for the most part and consider this: Why exactly was an elderly Uchiha couple entrusted to raise children? Think about it this way…they're going to eventually die and what kind of effect will it have on the Uchiha that have been raised by them? Yeah, I'm just gonna let that sink in and move on…
> 
> Update on the shipping games, Kashiki is still in first place, with Shikito still in second, and poly ship Kishito has beaten Riki for third place, making Riki now in fourth place. Karishi (Kakashi/Rin/Shiki) has now been added into the pool, as well as Kakashi/Rin.
> 
> I hope everyone's enjoyed the numerous POV shifts and Shiki coming out of her shell—because that was definitely a thing. Also, Obito getting defended by the class—Shiki, especially—and a noticeable difference between Butterfly Child and this fic is the fact that students are divided up by their academic prowess—you can consider Nene's class one of the AP classes and/or Honors classes. And yes, it is because of the Second Shinobi World War. After all, Butterfly Child was set during a time of peace and if anyone sees a contradiction involving the fact that there were age requirements for anyone getting sent out on the battlefield during the war and the fact that Nawaki was twelve and died out there—just know I didn't make a mistake. I'll go into depth about the situation later.
> 
> That's about it for now and I apologize for the long A/N this time around. Until next time, everyone!


	12. Bluebells

Shiki was in a particularly good mood throughout the rest of the day. Even though no one could actually tell, she was smiling. Her face was tinged with a rosy blush and her kikaichū were especially active, as if they were just happy to know that she was in such a good mood. She had been so scared when she stood up for Obito—scared for screwing up so badly and making everything worse for the Uchiha. And yet, things turned out for the better because some of their classmates—classmates they barely even interacted with—came to Obito's aid.

Ibiki spoke up when he did, even though he didn't have to and he rarely ever did, usually keeping to his self. Then there was Asuma, who never failed to be his blunt self, which has been the cause for Nene-sensei's shortage in chalk. One would think Asuma would learn from his mistakes in order to avoid having his forehead pelted with chalk.

That would have been the case if Asuma weren't so amused with the fact that Nene-sensei actually treated him like any other student in her class instead of just seeing him as the Sandaime's son. Quite a number of times, Shiki had seen Asuma growing annoyed with the many children from civilian families that had tried to get on his good side just _because_ he was the Sandaime's son. Meanwhile with the other children, some of them were not particularly subtle about their intent to make connections with the Sandaime's son, while the others were, but Asuma knew better. He just stayed quiet about it because Kurenai didn't like it when he was so harsh with everyone else. Which is why it was surprising that Kurenai actually let Asuma's comment slide when he told off his former classmates.

Though, Kakashi surprised Shiki the most, since she was fully aware at how he and Obito refused to get along with each other. Even though nothing much has changed between the two, Shiki was still so happy that Kakashi had said anything. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

As for Rin—well, Shiki was just glad she existed. So very, _very_ glad…it just _hurt_ to remember how the girl died.

" _But I won't let that happen."_ Shiki was determined, because it just didn't feel fair to let such a tragedy happen. Even though not much has actually happened, Shiki could tell things were very different because she was _there_. And though she had little control over that, from what had already happened, she was going to try her best and take advantage of it.

For now, Shiki had an advanced kunoichi class to attend. Hopefully, her exam scores were decent enough to give her a pass. She _really_ didn't want to go through another month of learning about things she already knew. Maybe that was why Kunie disliked kunoichi classes…Shiki wouldn't know unless she asked, but she felt it was too personal of a question.

As usual, the girls were as supportive as ever when Shiki voiced her uncertainty. But then Meme-sensei broke the news to everyone in that Shiki had scored the highest on the exam. At that moment, whatever sense of uneasiness Shiki felt was replaced with indescribable happiness. She was just _so_ **happy** and felt so warm inside—today was just a good day for her.

"I guess that means you won't have to retake the class like I did," an older girl told Shiki. "Lucky you…"

Shiki blinked and smiled. "I guess I am lucky."

The idea that her classmate hadn't exactly been so happy when she had said that never crossed Shiki's mind until long after classes were over and she was walking home with her father. Her chest ached and her body felt cold—as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water on her. Discomfort was a word that definitely described what Shiki was feeling at the moment. It was strange…she shouldn't have cared.

But she did and it _hurt_.

" _Why does it hurt?"_ Shiki barely even knew that girl. It shouldn't matter to her how others felt about her. She didn't need that girl in her life…and yet, it was frustrating how she couldn't forget what that girl had told her. _"And I didn't even notice…"_

Maybe that was why it hurt…because it took Shiki this long to realize what had happened.

"Is something wrong?" Shinjiro suddenly asked, snapping Shiki out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" Shiki hadn't expected her father to notice.

"You seem distressed…" Shinjiro's lips were pressed into a frown. "Would you like to talk about it when we arrive home?"

"I…don't know…" Shiki felt her eyes beginning to burn from hot tears. _"This is stupid—why am I crying?! Why?!"_

Of all the reasons she had—so _many_ reasons—Shiki had no idea _why_ she wanted to cry over the fact that it took her so long to realize that someone had been completely unhappy with her success. It was such a shallow reason—yet, why did it bother her? Why?!

_I don't know…I don't know!_

Shiki wasn't aware that she had been squeezing down on her father's hand as she thought to herself until Shinjiro gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. He could tell something was wrong with her…and for some reason, just knowing that, made Shiki feel better. It dulled the pain, but not enough for her to completely ignore it. Exhaling shakily, Shiki decided to try something.

"O-Otou-san…?" Shiki was a little frightened with how shaky her voice had sounded.

"You do not need to talk if you do not wish to," Shinjiro said softly.

"I…scored the highest on the exam for kunoichi classes." Shiki wondered if she had already told that to her father…did she? She didn't remember…now she was afraid that all she was going to get as a response was, "I know."

However, Shinjiro did not respond that way. Instead, he said, "Congratulations. I am sure that everyone will be happy to hear that when we return home."

It was so reassuring to hear that…so very, very reassuring. Shiki had been able to blink back the tears that had collected in her eyes. Warmth swelled up in her chest and a smile tugged at her lips. Within the span of a few seconds, Shiki had gone from feeling hurt to feeling so happy. She almost wanted to laugh at how she had almost cried… _almost_. Rather, she was just relieved that she didn't.

…

…

* * *

Unbeknownst to Shiki, however, she had already told Shinjiro about her exam scores. It was more that Shinjiro had noticed her distressed when she had repeated herself and rather than voicing the obvious, he decided to go against that and give his daughter the reassurance she needed. The fact that it had improved her mood certainly showed that his actions had an impact—at least, that was what her kikaichū had told him.

As easy as it was for most Aburame to come off as stoic and devoid of any visible emotions, their kikaichū were the exact opposite when it came to showing what their hosts _truly_ felt. It was how Shingen had been able to tell something was wrong with his son when Shinjiro had experienced his first kill during a rather traumatic C-rank mission, back in the days when he and his teammates were just Genin. If he hadn't had acted so fast, his teammates would have gotten killed…if Sadako hadn't arrived at that moment when she did, he would have…

" _That is not so important."_ Even though it's been years since the day of that incident, it was hard for Shinjiro to forget. As calm as he had initially appeared, in comparison to his teammates, when Shingen had asked Shinjiro if something was wrong, shortly after he arrived home, he broke down. It had disturbed him so much to know how easy it had been to just _kill_ someone that had almost killed Tsukiya and Shō.

Shinjiro was hoping Shibi didn't have to deal with such a scenario for his first kill…and as much as Shinjiro hoped that Shiki would never have to kill anyone, he knew that was an unrealistic hope, considering the future her career entailed. So the most he could do was ensure that she had someone to be by her side when that day came. For now, he just wanted to let Shiki know that he would always be there for her—even when she felt her problems were so small.

It would certainly make it easier for her when the time came that she felt most comfortable to open up to him without him prompting her.

* * *

…

…

When Shiki arrived home, she searched out for Shinobu for another session of calligraphy. She wanted to take her mind off of what had happened today during kunoichi classes and she recalled Meme-sensei asking her how she felt about her calligraphy skills. Shiki assumed it had to do with whether or not she was sticking around for another month with Meme-sensei's advanced lessons. Whatever it was, Shinobu never failed to make Shiki feel happy.

Though, when she came to where a relative of hers told her where they last saw Shinobu, Shiki was confused to find Kunie helping a dark-haired woman apply her make-up. Shinobu was supposedly with his daughter, according to what Shiki had been told…but Shiki didn't see him anywhere. And had Shiki not been aware that Shinobu was a single parent like her father, she would have almost mistaken the woman for Kunie's mother.

" _Who's this?"_ Shiki had never seen this woman before, though she could tell that the woman was most definitely a relative of hers—blood-related, at that. It was interesting how her kikaichū were capable of making such a distinction. "Kunie-san?"

"Hmm?" Kunie turned her attention away from the dark-haired woman just as she was in the middle of applying eyeliner to the woman's eyes. "What is it?"

"Wh-Where is Shinobu-san?" Shiki wondered if she had just missed him.

Kunie stared at Shiki for a moment before gesturing at the woman nearby her. "She is right here."

"She?" Shiki furrowed her brow. "What are you…? Did I miss something?"

Because if there was something Shiki needed to know, now was a good time as any because Shiki never recalled Shinobu being someone who was referred to as with feminine pronouns—as far as she knew.

"I _knew_ I forgot to tell you something!" Kunie sighed as she ran her fingers through her long, black hair. "Well, at least you're doing better than the triplets did…can you wait a second?"

"I guess…" So long as she received an explanation, Shiki was fine with anything. She just needed a moment to get over the surprise…because Shiki had not been expecting Shinobu to have such stunning blue eyes. They were just so _blue_ … _"Are Kunie's eyes blue as well?"_

So many questions, not enough answers—it really only made the fact that Shiki still had a lot to learn about her relatives more prominent. Her family was certainly interesting…

…

Half an hour later, Shiki was spending some quality time with Kunie and Shinobu during another typical calligraphy session. Nothing much really changed, except for Shinobu's pronouns and her more feminine appearance (as well as the way she spoke), but other than that, it was the same as ever. Though, Shiki _was_ staring at Shinobu a bit more often, unable to forget the stunning blue eyes her cousin possessed.

"Is something wrong, Shiki?" Shinobu looked questioningly at Shiki, red lips pressed into a frown.

"Does Kunie-san have your eyes?" Shiki had been meaning to compliment Shinobu, but her mouth acted first before her brain could even register what she _wanted_ to say. Only afterwards, did it occur to Shiki how personal her question could be, considering Kunie's parentage. "Umm…I mean—if it is not too personal of a question…"

Shinobi stared at Shiki for a moment and smiled as she quickly removed her daughter's glasses off her face. "See for yourself!"

Kunie didn't really react much, only blinking a few times as her eyes took a moment to adjust to the lighting. Her eyes weren't blue like Shinobu's were, being larger in size and a clear gray with a prominent violet tinge in color. Kunie's eyes were beautiful in their own way, but what caught Shiki's attention the most were the purple markings underneath her eyes. It was clear what Kunie inherited from Shinobu and what she didn't, but Shiki didn't say anything about that.

Instead, Shiki just said, "Your eyes are just as beautiful as those of Shinobu-san."

"You think?" Kunie's eyes lit up as a smile crossed her face. "Thank you so much! I think your eyes are beautiful, too!"

"My…eyes…" Tentatively, Shiki reached for her goggles that usually obscured her light-sensitive eyes. All too sudden, the sensation as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water on her returned. Nausea began to bubble up inside of her, making Shiki feel uncomfortable as she recalled whom it was she had inherited her eyes from—the woman she couldn't forget.

Shinobu must have sensed something was wrong, because without any warning, she just said, "I used to be married, you know."

That was all Shinobu needed to say for Shiki to take her mind off the woman who had given birth to her. "You were?"

"Yes…" Shinobu said as a wistful smile formed on her lips. "We had been together for a couple of years before I decided to propose. About a year later, Kunie was born, but…"

"But…?" Shiki tilted her head to the side.

Shinobu laughed halfheartedly. "I really loved them…really, I did…"

"But the idea of their child being covered in kikaichū turned them away." Kunie's tone was rather cold, her expression hard. "So they left the day after I was born, the marriage nullified shortly afterwards."

It was jarring, to see Kunie look so hurt. Shiki was used to seeing her cousin in a usually joyous mood. It was… _wrong_ , to see the teenager look so dejected.

"Love was not enough for them to get past the customs of this clan," Shinobu said as she placed her arm around Kunie's shoulders, bringing her daughter closer to herself. "Rarely, do any of us find love outside of our clan—successfully, at least. After all, not many people are willing to marry into this clan."

" _So that's why…"_ That was why Shiki mostly saw people who had been adopted into the clan as spouses to her blood-related relatives. It wasn't that uncommon for Shiki to see single parents in her clan, apart from her own father and Shinobu. She never questioned them, but now…she wondered if they had gone through the exact same thing as Shinobu. _"That's sad…"_

"I thought they were different, but it seemed Kunie was where they reached their limit." Shinobu sighed as she gently started to stroke Kunie's hair. "Just shows that it was not meant to be…but at least I have Kunie. And your father has you."

"Yeah…he does…" Shiki found those words oddly comforting.

"I know it hurts and it is okay to feel hurt." Kunie's eyes were glistening with tears. "No one has the right to tell you what can or cannot hurt you…just know you are not alone."

"Okay," was all Shiki could say. That was all she really could say, because the idea her family was hurting just didn't want to register. It just didn't feel fair…but then again, life wasn't fair. That still didn't mean Shiki liked it…

"Say, do you want to go to karaoke with me one of these days?" Kunie suddenly asked Shiki. "The triplets are coming and I think maybe it would be a good chance to take you out of the compound."

Shiki blinked a few times, contemplating the offer. On one hand, she wasn't too comfortable with the idea of karaoke, but on the other hand, it would mean Shiki would get to see something new… "I guess…I would like that."

While initially hesitant, Shiki felt quite confident in her decision when she saw how Kunie's face lit up with a smile.

…

…

The next day began like any other day for Shiki. She woke up early, got ready for school, and left the Aburame compound with her father. She was prepared for yet another day of learning, having adjusted to the change in her lifestyle in the past month she had started attending the Academy. She still wasn't a fan of physical education, but she did what she could and that was all that mattered.

However, when Shiki and Shinjiro arrived at the front of the Academy, they were stopped by a nine-year-old girl with piercing blue eyes. She seemed so familiar, with her long, black hair that reached down to her hips and thick eyebrows. It was really only the girl introduced herself that Shiki realized who she was.

"My name Maito Kai, age nine, daughter of Maito Dai and older sister of Maito Gai!" the girl loudly exclaimed as she stood firmly with her hands on her hips and her feet hip-width apart. Her sharp, blue eyes practically stared through Shiki with such intensity that it made her almost want to flinch. "You are Aburame Shiki, are you not?!"

"Uh…yes?" Shiki found herself tightening her grip on her father's hand. She had no idea how to react to Gai's older sister—not when she was just so _intense_.

Compared to her own father and younger brother, Kai was nothing like them, save for her warm complexion, which she shared with her father. The outfit she wore was much like the one Gai wore, save for the fact that the leg warmers she wore matched the blue scarf wrapped around her neck. Her eyebrows weren't as thick as theirs were and actually had some sort of _shape_ to them, so they weren't just rectangular blocks.

For about a minute, Kai continued to stare at Shiki, causing the younger girl to unconsciously move closer to her father until she was hiding behind him. Firmly nodding her head once, Kai turned her head and shouted, "Gai, I have found the girl you have been talking about this past month!"

" _He was talking about me?!"_ Heat splashed across Shiki's face as her heartbeat began to speed up. She had no idea what had gone on after the day she had first met Maito Gai and stood up for him when Kakashi was being his unintentionally insensitive self. To hear that Gai had been talking about her during the past month was…embarrassing, to say the least, because…just what did Gai say about her?!

Speaking of Gai, here he came, with his father walking him over to join up with Kai, Shiki, and Shinjiro.

Kai's sharp eyes watched Gai as he neared her, taking note of how nervous the younger boy seemed. She scoffed before giving her younger brother a hearty slap on the back. "Stand up straight!"

"Gah!" Gai had not much time to react as he was sent crashing into Shinjiro, who nearly lost his balance from how forceful the impact had been.

Fortunately, Shinjiro had been able to keep his ground. At the same time, he had also been able to keep his kikaichū from attacking Gai. Shiki envied how cool her father was with dealing with the situation, compared to how she had been when she bumped into Obito on the day of the entrance ceremony. She wondered if it was something that came with experience…

Though, Shiki's attention quickly focused back on Kai, who seemed completely unaffected by her actions towards her younger brother. All she did was stare at her younger brother, waiting for a reaction out of him.

A minute passed and Gai finally spoke after separating himself from Shinjiro's legs, saying, "Onee-san—you underestimated your strength again."

Kai blinked once…then twice, her face turning a brilliant shade of red as she nervously said, "I…apologize."

"It's fine—just be careful next time," Gai remarked as he rubbed the back of his head. "I think you've gotten stronger."

Dai's reaction to hearing Gai's words was instantaneous. A wide grin had crossed his face as he brought a hand down on his daughter's head, laughing as he ruffled her long hair. "No doubt about it, you'll be graduating this year at this rate!"

"Anyways!" Kai cleared her throat. "Gai—you have something you need to say, don't you?"

"Uhh…" All too suddenly, Gai had gone stiff, his face heating up with a red blush as his eyes focused on Shiki, who continued to hide behind her father.

Shiki still had no idea how to deal with the Maito family. Dai was too energetic, Kai was too intense, and Gai was…well, Gai. Just…they certainly were not like anyone she had ever seen before. It was…interesting, maybe even heartwarming, because of how close they were.

"Go on, Gai—we have talked about it yesterday!" Kai said firmly, her expression hard. "I picked them out specifically for this situation and I'll be damned if my hard work goes to waste!"

" _What is she talking about?"_ Shiki made a face, very much confused as to what Kai was trying to get Gai to do. Though, about a second later, Shiki found out what Kai had been talking about when Gai suddenly held out a small bouquet of bluebells towards her. "Huh?"

"Sh-Sh-Shiki-san!" Gai stuttered, a small bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face. "I am grateful for what you did for me over a month ago!" He paused for a moment, swallowing hard with an audible gulp before continuing. "Please accept these flowers on behalf of my gratitude!"

…

…

"O-Okay…" was all Shiki could really say as she reached out to accept the small bouquet of flowers from Gai. The heat refused to leave her crimson-colored face. Her mouth felt dry and her heart was pounding so hard within her chest. No one had _ever_ acted this way towards her in her past life. The fact that Gai was doing something like this, even though he barely even knew her, having only spoken to her once, was something she found so _strange_.

And yet, there was nothing about Gai's actions that Shiki found unwelcoming. She had taken the bouquet out of his hands and held it so delicately, almost worried as if her touch would damage the bluebells. They had been picked specifically with care, so Shiki could understand why Kai had been so adamant that Gai give them to her—because Kai had worked hard making the bouquet to express whatever gratitude Gai had felt.

After all, in hanakotoba, a bluebell held the meaning of, "grateful."

"Th-Thank you!" Shiki had been unable to keep the volume of her voice down, having been so unsettled by how unexpected the entire situation was. She looked nervously at Gai, beads of sweat rolling down the sides of her red-colored face.

Gai stared back at Shiki with a face not unlike hers, except the only difference was that his eyes were visible. And the look of fear was evident in his pitch-black eyes.

A minute passed without anyone saying a word. Another minute passed and Kai decided she had grown tired of seeing her younger brother continuing to act this way. So she walked over to Gai and after grabbing him by the back of his shirt, she started to drag Gai away in the direction of the Academy building.

As soon as they were out of sight and earshot, Dai started laughing quite boisterously. Shiki nearly shrieked because of how sudden (and loud) Dai's laughter had been. He certainly seemed to be in a good mood…

"What is on your mind, Dai-san?" Shinjiro asked out of curiosity.

"I'm just thinking over what you said over a month ago—and I want to thank you for your support!" Dai grinned widely as he gave Shinjiro a thumbs-up. "Because starting today, Gai will be attending the Academy with your daughter!"

"Congratulations—you must be very proud," Shinjiro said as he placed his hand on top of Shiki's head.

"Indeed I am!" Dai exclaimed. "Gai was worried it might have taken him a year, as it had with Kai! So to see the tables turn in such a way is quite heartening in this lovely springtime of youth! And I have your daughter to thank for it!"

"Huh?!" Shiki hadn't expected Dai to turn his attention on her…and now she wished she had left when Kai and Gai had.

"Gai never forgot what you've told him on that day," Dai explained, almost proudly. "So during the past month, he spent each and every day, training his body, in hopes of being accepted into the Academy. Because as you said, there was no harm in trying—and his efforts paid off."

"I-I-I see…" It was honestly nerve-wracking for Shiki to see how much of an impact her words had on someone such as Gai. Did she…really have that much of an affect? "I…I got to go!"

Shiki didn't think she could last another moment being around Dai—she needed _time_ to get over the sudden influx of information she had gained. Meeting Kai was one thing, as was interacting with Gai, but the idea of her words having such an impact on Gai was where she reached her limit. Nothing had prepared her for _this_ —not when she had been expecting another typical day at the Academy.

…

…

* * *

"Your daughter sure is quite lively," Dai remarked as he watched the raven-haired girl run towards the Academy building. "Certainly full of youth!"

"Indeed." Shinjiro wasn't too used to interacting with someone such as Dai, but there was a first time for everything and Dai wasn't that bad of a person. Though, Shinjiro _did_ wonder if Dai understood the concept of personal space when the man decided to wrap his arm around Shinjiro's shoulders.

"To be stricken with the spirit of love is a wonderful thing, don't you think?" Dai looked expectantly at Shinjiro for an answer.

Shinjiro just stared at Dai, placing a hand on the older man's arm as he removed it from his shoulders. "I would not know, Dai-san, as the spirit of love has never paid me a visit."

"Ah, that's right—you don't do romance!" Dai laughed awkwardly. "My apologies."

"No offense was taken, though I do have a question as to what you meant when you said that." Shinjiro had his suspicions in regards to how Gai felt towards his daughter, but Dai was making it rather obvious. Even so, Shinjiro would prefer if he had more clarity.

"Well, you see, during the past month Gai spent training, he never stopped talking about your daughter and well…" Dai grinned widely as he gave Shinjiro a thumbs-up. "I look forward to the potential of you becoming part of our family!"

"Likewise…" Though, that was assuming Shiki didn't feel the same way about romance as Shinjiro had. "It is always nice to add to the family…but being friends is fine too."

"It is, indeed!" It was oddly comforting for Shinjiro to see Dai so eager to agree with what he said.

* * *

…

…

"Those are some lovely flowers you have!" Rin had been quick to notice the bouquet of bluebells Shiki had brought with her to class.

"What's the occasion?" Kakashi asked, most likely wondering if Shiki was going to give them to anyone.

"There is none," Shiki simply said. "They were a gift."

"A gift?" Obito repeated, furrowing his brow in confusion. "From whom?"

Shiki wasn't that surprised to hear Obito asking her that question. After all, she only had Rin and Kakashi as friends. Who else would give her a present outside of her family? Certainly not anyone that Obito would know. "An acquaintance, I guess…"

Obito still seemed as perplexed as ever, though before he could even ask another question, a loud, booming voice suddenly shouted, **"DYNAMIC ENTRY!"**

_BAM!_

A strong pair of legs belonging to a certain Maito Kai managed to kick down the door as she made an entrance worthy of leaving an impression on everyone in the classroom. Gai certainly seemed rather awkward as he entered the room, his older sister standing proudly over the door she had broken. Following after Gai was a short, four-year-old girl with fair skin and long, ultramarine-colored hair. She patted Gai on the shoulder reassuringly as she walked past him, gesturing at him to follow her as she made her way to the front of the classroom.

Gai was hesitant to follow and only did so when he received a not-so-gentle nudge from a tall, seven-year-old boy with scruffy black hair, tan skin, and a lollipop in his mouth. He was accompanied by a five-year-old boy with a similar complexion, though his hair was much neater and shorter and he wore a pair of circular glasses. A six-year-old girl with jade-green ribbons in her dark hair skipped into the room not long after, the bells in her hair jingling with each movement she made. She was short, pale, and had the most peculiar yellow eyes that Shiki had ever laid her eyes on, with concentric circles between the pupil and the iris.

Nene-sensei entered the room shortly afterwards, taking a moment to look at the knocked down door in disdain before turning her attention to Kai, who still maintained her pose. "You…you need to graduate soon because your talents are being wasted here."

Kai's face lit up with a blush that made her skin glow red. "I am trying! Maybe this year—this year, most definitely!"

Nene-sensei stared at Kai for a moment before shaking her head. "Tell me if that asshole instructor fails you again and I'll see if I can get Sarutobi Hideyoshi to fix that."

"Y-Yes…" Kai nervously replied. "Sh-Shall I go?"

"You may, Maito Kai—try not to break another door today, okay?" Nene-sensei was exasperated.

"O…kay…" Kai nodded her head firmly, turned, and walked out of the classroom.

As soon as she was certain Kai was gone, Nene-sensei exhaled loudly and turned to face her class. "If you recall what I have said yesterday, I may have mentioned that you'll be seeing a lot of new faces today. Apparently, that is not the case as I did not receive that many new students for this class, but never mind that—how about you lot introduce yourselves?"

The six-year-old girl with bells in her hair did not hesitate to do as she was told and, with such intensity, yelled, "My name is Nuan-Ling—call me Ling!"

Nuan-Ling was not at all nervous and confident with her introduction, even when the other students in the classroom started laughing at her because of how bold she had been. One particular boy was guffawing, poking fun at the bells in Nuan-Ling's hair, saying how impractical they were. Nuan-Ling did nothing but just stared at the boy…and the promptly threw a stick of chalk at the boy. The boy was sitting at the far end corner of the room, opposite of where the windows were. For a six-year-old girl who had only just entered the Academy, her aim was scarily accurate as it pelted the boy's forehead with such ease. All laughter ceased almost immediately as all eyes were on Nuan-Ling, staring at her in amazement.

Nene-sensei was immensely proud of her new student, patting the girl on the head a few times before deciding to remind her class that her class was meant for advanced students. "You best not underestimate each other, or there will be hell to pay, as Nuan-Ling has just shown—nice pickpocketing skills, by the way."

"Thanks!" Nuan-Ling beamed. "My father taught me all that he knew!"

"Not bad for a civilian…" Nene-sensei remarked. "Anyways, who's—"

Nene-sensei was cut-off by the loud crunching that came from the seven-year-old boy who decided there and then to noisily munch down on his lollipop. He didn't flinch, not even when Nene-sensei glared at him, obviously offended by how rude he had been. He just shrugged it off and took the stick that remained from his lollipop out of his mouth.

"My name is Manabe Iwai—my father runs a metal works shop, so chances are, you are gonna be using weapons he made." Iwai turned his attention to the five-year-old boy standing right next to him. "Oh, and this little guy right here is my younger brother—I'm warning you now, if you pick on him, I won't hesitate to do what I did with _this_ to you."

There was nothing threatening about Iwai holding out the stick that remained from his lollipop for the class to see. That was until he grinned widely, showing off an _interesting_ set of **shark-like** teeth. Almost immediately, did all attention focus on Iwai's younger brother as a question popped up on everyone's mind: Did he had the same teeth as his older brother?

The question soon received an answer as the Iwai's glasses-wearing brother smiled nervously. He _did_. "I-Iwai…can you not?"

"Nope," Iwai simply said as he pulled out another lollipop from his pocket. "You should introduce yourself."

"O-Okay…umm…I'm Manabe Isamu—I hope we can all get along?" Isamu looked nervously at his classmates.

…

"Well, I'm Takemi Tae!" the ultramarine-haired girl suddenly exclaimed. "I'm turning five this year and I hope we can all be friends! Hey—hey! It's your turn!"

Gai practically jumped when Tae suddenly latched onto his arm. "Ah—okay, just…can you let go of me?"

Tae blinked a few times, nodded her head as she released Gai's arm. "Sorry!"

"It's fine…well, I'm Maito Gai and—wait, no!" Gai tightened his hands into a pair of fists, his expression turning serious. He stood firmly, trying his best not to seem nervous and managing to succeed. He cleared his throat, and, quite loudly, reintroduced himself. "My name is Maito Gai, age five, son of Maito Dai and younger brother of Maito Kai! I look forward to working with all of you—you especially, Aburame Shiki!"

Shiki nearly choked on her spit when she heard her name come out of Gai's mouth. Heat rushed to her face when she realized everyone was now looking at her, Rin, Kakashi, and Obito included.

"Do you know him?" Rin asked, looking questioningly at Shiki.

"He's this one boy who flunked the entrance exam," Kakashi remarked, almost casually. "Shiki and I met with him on the day classes began. I didn't think he'd show up in this class, though…"

Shiki stared at Kakashi for a moment, somewhat astonished that the boy had yet to learn any tact in the past month she had gotten to know him. He stared back at her, wondering why Shiki was looking at him with such a face—only to find out immediately afterwards as he received a gentle tap to the back of his head.

"Y-You need to be a little more tactful, K-Kakashi-kun," Shiki lightly admonished the Hatake.

"Right…" Kakashi simply said, trying his best not to seem flustered as his mask hid the light blush tinging his cheeks red.

Obito snorted, finding the scene rather amusing. He almost laughed…but then Rin looked sternly at him. She didn't even have to say anything, because Obito just kept his mouth shut, not wanting to annoy his only friend.

Sighing, Rin smiled and patted Shiki reassuringly on the shoulder. "I'm sure he'll make an interesting friend, don't you think?"

"I guess…" Shiki had never considered the concept of being friends with someone, such as Maito Gai.

"His eyebrows are weird…" Obito said as he looked at Gai. "They're like fuzzy caterpillars…"

"I thought you didn't like bugs?" Rin was rather interested with Obito's choice in words.

"I don't…" Obito huffed. "No offense, Shiki."

"None taken." Shiki felt herself smiling.

"You still need to apologize," Kakashi decided to bring up.

"Well, you need to stop being rude!" It didn't occur to Obito that he was being rather loud until his forehead was pelted with piece of chalk. "Ow!"

"Now is not the time for talking!" Nene-sensei looked sternly at Obito, poised at ready to throw another piece of chalk at the boy if she had to. "At least, not anymore, so everyone, take your seats. We have a lot of learning to do, so feel free to get acquainted with your new classmates during lunchtime…okay?"

No one argued with Nene-sensei and did what as they were told. The month might have only just begun, but Nene-sensei wasn't going to let that get in the way of her teaching. She had over a month to ensure her new students caught up with the rest of the class, all whilst preparing everyone else for the exam at the end of the month. Really, there was quite a lot to do, but this didn't discourage her—quite the opposite, in fact. Despite how often serious-looking Shimura Nene appeared, her eyes gave away what she truly felt and right now, she was ecstatic to have new students to teach. She had been hoping for more students to fill out her classroom, but that was not to be and she was fine.

After all, there was still next year for any student in this current year to move up into her class. Looking at her class with such subtle determination, Nene-sensei turned and walked over to the chalkboard, using the chalk in her hand to start writing out the lesson she had in store for everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like, hey everyone—it's been a while, but I'm back and I just want everyone to know I made a bunch of Shiki sprites, which you can find the links to on my profile, but since links still aren't working on this site, check them out on my tumblr at KlonoaDreams, under fanfiction stuff. Along with that, do check out Michi-Onee-Chan's cute fanart of Shiki!
> 
> That aside, this chapter was more of an introduction of what's to come because like…OCs, I have them and they're a part of this story, just not the main focus, but they do have a part in this fic in some way. Speaking of OCs, say hello to Maito Kai!
> 
> And I'm sure Butterfly Child readers will find shark-teeth possessing Iwai and aromantic Tae (she's aromantic, by the way) familiar. Just saying, they're the same as ever, the only difference is that they're younger and don't have any children…oh, and Iwai's brother is alive, so there's that, too. I never had a chance to talk about him since he's like…dead, in Butterfly Child. But here he is, fleshed out with matching teeth like his older brother (they're of Kirigakure descent).
> 
> To be honest, only Kai and Nuan-Ling are new and fun fact about the Aburame OCs I've made so far: I might have introduced them, but I certainly haven't had time to flesh them out as everyone else. So I'm taking this chance to do so now and Aburame Shinobu is genderfluid, so expect pronouns to change up every once in a while, but otherwise, Shinobu's still Shiki's calligraphy-loving cousin and Kunie got more depth added to her.
> 
> Anyone wondering why I made Shinobu genderfluid, there's no particular reason I had for this, except for why not, because really, why not? I mean, one of Tae's future triplets, Miku, is trans (if you guys haven't figured it out yet because it was implied in the chapter she was introduced). People of varying gender identities exist, as much as people of varying orientations do (no one in this fic or any fic I write is straight unless I say they are). And as I said before, if you don't like any OCs, feel free to drop this story any time because I'll only disappoint.
> 
> Anyways, more information revealed about the Aburame clan—yeah, not many people are willing to marry into the clan. The kikaichū are a bit of a turn off, which is why Shinjiro took Obito's words to Shiki a little hard. Because he's had to deal with people who married into his clan leave as soon as their children are born because it only dawned on them then that they couldn't do with being part of the Aburame clan. It just shows that Shiki isn't the only one of her clan who has been rejected by a parent of hers.
> 
> English is STILL a secret language in this world, if you've noticed the bolded exclamation from Maito Kai. Oh, and in case you haven't realized the situation with Shiki, being rejected by the person who gave birth to her has had an impact on her. As much as she doesn't want it to affect her, she doesn't take rejection in any form easily. Obito was actually an exception because she knew he wasn't talking about her (just her kikaichū, which she can understand), unlike that one girl in her class who was rather bitter that someone younger than her passed an advanced class so easily, unlike her, who had to repeat the class.
> 
> Anyways, the shipping games are as lively as ever, but due to a recent review I received who wasn't so big on the suggested poly ships, I feel I should come clean about a certain aspect of the set pairings I had for this fic. The set pairing for Shiki involves polyamory, meaning that she won't end up with one person. Who those people are that Shiki is in a relationship with, I won't say, so the shipping games are still on—just know that polyamory in this fic is a thing and if you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to drop this fic. I rather not mislead people if I'm going to get people who are uncomfortable with this sort of thing in the long run. I mean, romance is gonna take a LONG time to develop, but like…I just want to give people a heads-up.
> 
> So this fic (as well as Butterfly Child) got on the recommendation list on tvtropes on the For Want of a Nail fics for the Naruto section. That's where I found Dreaming of Sunshine (you should really read it—it's great) and fell into the whole SI OC genre in this fandom. I just...I'm happy. I hope to see many of you sticking with story from start to finish—I'm sorry if I took so long to update!
> 
> That's about it for now and I'm hoping to get more chapters up because out of all the fics I was working on, Metamorphosis was one I just started the other day and I'm really glad to see this chapter up so soon. I'm hoping to get another chapter up at least before the year ends.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, so until next time, everyone!


	13. Impressions

Gai wasn't paying attention to the lesson…that was on Obito's mind as he watched the thick-browed boy from out of the corner of his eye. Obito had been watching Gai from the moment he had heard the boy call out to Shiki. Gai had tried to sit with them, but the desks in the classroom could only seat up to four people at a time, with Obito having laid claim to the fourth seat in the desk he, Rin, Shiki, and Kakashi sat at—and he wasn't giving up his seat anytime soon.

As he had not been able to sit with them, Gai instead chose to sit in the desk next to theirs, sitting down in the seat that was closest to Obito. Tae had seemed rather attached to Gai, having sat right next to the thick-browed boy, with Iwai and his younger brother, Isamu, filling out the rest of the seats to the desk. It had originally been occupied by a single boy, but Iwai had shoved the boy out of the seat and told him to, "Fuck off."

And when Nene-sensei had thrown the chalkboard eraser at Iwai, the boy had caught it in his hand. The seven-year-old boy intimidated Obito for various reasons, his teeth being one and the fact that he wasn't afraid to stand up to Nene-sensei being another. Though, there was something humorous about seeing a four-year-old girl being so touchy-feely with the boy's face, who did nothing—not even when Tae took the lollipop out of his mouth and put it directly into hers. All Iwai did was pat Tae on the head and took out another lollipop.

And very quietly, but still audible enough for Obito to hear, did Isamu sighed in relief. Meanwhile with Nuan-Ling, she chose to sit at the front of the class, so eager to learn and follow along with Nene-sensei's lesson.

Even though Obito had only meant to just watch Gai, he still couldn't help but look at his new classmates. They were interesting…but Gai still stood out the most with how he wasn't paying attention to Nene-sensei's lesson. Instead, he seemed to be staring at Shiki—or trying to, since Obito and Rin were in the way. Obito wasn't too sure if Shiki knew she was being watched, since he could never tell what was on her mind, with the way that her face was covered up by her hair and the collar of her jacket. It was hard to read her expressions…

Sighing, Obito pushed his goggles onto his forehead and rubbed his eyes. It was tiring trying to look at Gai from this manner, Obito discovered—his goggles not helping. That was an aspect he found annoying, but he had grown used to it by now.

When Obito had first gotten his goggles, he had tried to hide his distaste from the elderly couple that had gifted them to him. It had taken him time to accept the fact that he needed them in his life. Time to accept the fact that the tutors that had been assigned to him deemed him a lost cause because he needed the goggles and moved onto other Uchiha who were worthy of their time.

Obito wasn't that far behind his own classmates. He considered mathematics an easy subject…at least when all the problem did was involve numbers.

It was the word problems he had issues with because…because…

"Obito—pay attention." Rin's whispers had snapped Obito out of his thoughts. He choked back a scream, turned to Rin, and smiled sheepishly at the girl as she looked at him with a stern expression. "You know how Nene-sensei is with anyone who doesn't pay attention to her lessons."

As if on cue, Gai yelped loudly as chalk pelted his forehead, Nene-sensei loudly saying, "Pay attention, Maito Gai!"

"Y-Yes!" Gai said as he rubbed at his forehead, stopping only when a tiny hand suddenly reached out to gently pat him on the head.

"Pay attention, Gai!" Tae repeated to Gai.

"O-Okay…" Gai lowered his head when the students around him began snickering, but said nothing else as Tae continued to pat him on the head. It was almost as if she was trying to make him feel better, even though one could say she was doing the opposite, with how other students found it humorous.

That was the case until Iwai crunched down on his lollipop _loudly_ , a murderous glint visible in his eyes. Everyone averted their gaze and ceased their snickering almost instantly, as everyone decided that, while they could stare and laugh, they were better off not pissing off Iwai. Nene-sensei did nothing but arch her brow at the scene before shrugging and continuing her lesson.

Deciding that it wasn't worth the risk of getting pelted in the forehead with chalk, Obito turned his attention back on the lesson. Gai had already stopped staring at Shiki, so Obito didn't have any reason to watch Gai anymore.

" _Fuzzy caterpillars…"_ Obito snorted. It was hard to get the imagery out of his head.

…

…

When lunchtime came around, Obito almost thought Gai was going to try and join him, Kakashi, Shiki, and Rin. That might have been the case if Kai didn't decide to pick up her brother, having been the one who had his lunch, as well as hers. What was interesting was how Tae had decided to join the Maito siblings, with Iwai dragging his younger brother along because he had nothing better to do. Nuan-Ling followed after them, even though she was perfectly fine on her own.

Obito knew he was staring, but he couldn't stop. There was just something about his new classmates that made him feel… _envious_. Nausea stirred in his stomach as he recalled how alone he had been on his first day of class, before he befriended Rin later on during the day, with Shiki and Kakashi not too far behind in terms of distance. Obito wasn't alone anymore, but…he _had_ been alone.

And he _hated_ that, Obito realized as he followed Rin, Shiki, and Kakashi out of the classroom. As much as he disliked admitting it, he was oddly content that Kakashi stuck around as long as he did. He was grateful that Rin was so nice. He was happy that Shiki was so accepting…

Even though he still wasn't comfortable with the idea of being so physically close to Shiki, let alone touching her, the idea of Obito and her becoming friends…didn't seem that bad. After what had happened the other day, the idea he could make friends with someone covered in insects seemed rather plausible for him. Of course, before that could even happen, Obito needed to apologize.

Just…not today—Obito still needed time to figure out how to apologize without it seeming so forced. At the same time, he needed to find the courage to say those words without his voice wavering. It was surprisingly difficult to apologize to a girl who he felt was too forgiving. If there was one thing Obito can willingly agree with Kakashi, it would be that Shiki was too nice. She may have even been nicer than Rin, and that certainly said a lot.

As he ate his lunch, not paying much attention to the food Rin snuck into his bento, Obito found his gaze shifting over to Shiki as she explained what she had done on the day classes had begun at the Academy. Kakashi seemed somewhat awkward when Shiki mentioned his tactless words towards Gai.

Obito couldn't help but snort, earning a glare from Kakashi in response. "Did _you_ apologize?"

Obito had only meant to mock Kakashi, but his words ended up having a bigger impact on Kakashi as he froze still, his eyes wide.

" _Did_ you apologize?" Rin looked questioningly at Kakashi, who shifted uncomfortable in his spot.

"N-No…" Kakashi furrowed his brow, looking rather nervous for once.

Obito was almost tempted to bring up how much of a hypocrite Kakashi was, but he decided now was not the most appropriate of times. As much as Kakashi got on his nerves, Obito wasn't petty—he wasn't like some of his relatives, who always seemed to hold grudges over the smallest of things. His cousin, Fuyuko, sure was rather vocal the other day when someone else scored higher than she did in her kunoichi classes (his relatives were rather competitive, no thanks to their upbringing)…speaking of which—

"How did you do on your exams, Shiki—I mean, for your kunoichi classes?" Obito decided to change the subject for Kakashi's sake. "You're taking the advanced classes, right?"

"Uh…yes." Shiki nodded her head. "About that…I managed to score the highest on the exam."

"Did you?" Obito was impressed…then it hit him. _"Oh, crap…"_

Shiki was the girl his cousin had been complaining about the other day— _no wonder Fuyuko was pissed off_! It was because Shiki was younger than she was…

"Congratulations!" Rin smiled warmly at Shiki, earning nervous laughter from the girl.

"Th-Thank you…" Shiki sure seemed happy…in her own way.

"What's wrong with you?" Kakashi suddenly spoke to Obito, having noticed his anxious expression.

"N-Nothing!" Obito forced a smile, trying his best not to seem so suspicious. He really didn't want anyone to know what was on his mind at the moment—not when Shiki seemed so happy. "I'm just…a little jealous?"

…

"But you don't take kunoichi classes—why would you be jealous?" Kakashi really needed to know when to shut up, Obito found himself thinking.

"Obito could take the classes if he wanted to," Rin pointed out. "Just because it's mandatory for female students, doesn't mean that anyone who isn't female can't take the classes."

"Y-Yeah—I have a cousin named Kōichi who isn't a girl who used to take the classes!" For once, Obito was rather glad he kept tabs on those in his clan to some extent. Kōichi just so happened to be another child that was raised by the same elderly couple that took in Obito when he was younger.

Kakashi tilted his head to the side. "So Kōichi's a boy taking kunoichi lessons?"

"Kōichi isn't a boy, either," Obito replied, inwardly relieved that his comment had managed to deter the conversation. "They're a Genin if you're curious, so the chances of you seeing them are quite slim."

If Obito recalled correctly, Kōichi was currently on a C-rank mission with their team. And that was as much as he knew about anyone who lived in the same apartment as him.

"Ah, I see…" Kakashi understood. "But you're still not taking the classes, so _why_ are you jealous?"

"Does it have to do with your low score on the exam?" Shiki looked questioningly at Obito, shifting nervously when she realized what she had asked. "I-I mean—s-sorry if I sound a bit imposing…"

"It's fine." Obito didn't mind and, if he were to be frank, he _might_ have been thinking about his low score. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that his low score actually did bother him more than he had hoped it would. "You're not wrong, actually…"

"If you're having any trouble, you can ask me for help—I'm always willing to help!" Rin chirped. "There's no need to be shy!"

"I'm not shy…" Okay, maybe Obito was a little…but for the most part, he was just proud—and he _hated_ it, because of how difficult it was for him to ask for help.

"There is nothing wrong with asking for help," Shiki stated. "Even I had help from a cousin of mine…"

"I know…" Obito understood that, but…it was still difficult for him to swallow his own pride.

"I can help you out as well, if you want—I will not judge." Obito could have sworn he saw Shiki smile—it was a reassuring sight.

"I…guess I'll consider it after this month's exam," Obito said as he averted his gaze. A light blush tinged his cheeks when he heard Shiki giggle. Deep down, he _really_ hoped Fuyuko or any of his other relatives taking the advanced kunoichi classes didn't do anything bad to Shiki…or anyone else, for that matter.

…

…

* * *

Lunchtime soon came to an end and what followed after was just another typical period of physical education. Shiki might have struggled a bit with the addition of a few more laps to everyone's usual workout, but it was just something she had to suck up. She'd grow accustom to it eventually…

Though, Shiki wasn't too sure if she could say the same for Obito, who was still lagging behind everyone else. Interestingly enough, Tae had shifted her attention away from Gai and focused more on Obito as she tried to get him to catch up with everyone else as they ran. For someone who had only just entered the Academy, Tae was surprisingly fit, as were Nuan-Ling, Isamu, and Iwai.

Gai was someone Shiki had already expected to be capable of getting past the warm-up—especially considering what went on in his family… Well, Shiki wasn't too sure about Kai, but she seemed intense enough for Shiki to assume she was like her father and younger brother. She was certainly stronger than she appeared…

"Hey, hey—you need to get up!" Déjà vu crossed Shiki's mind as she watched Tae tug on Obito's arm as he laid on the ground. "Hey!"

"Just…give me a minute!" Obito gasped out. "Wait…you're not—you're not Rin."

Rin couldn't but laugh when she heard this. It was just too amusing for her to see how much Obito had grown accustomed to having Rin tug on his arm while he was down on the ground after running.

"I'm Tae!" was all Tae said as she continued to tug. "And you need to get up! Uuurgh—Iwaaaiiiii, heellllp!"

Iwai had been in the middle of unwrapping a lollipop when he heard Tae calling out to him. Sighing, Iwai placed the unwrapped lollipop in his mouth and walked over to Obito and Tae. Within the span of a few seconds, Iwai had managed to lift Obito off the ground and propped the Uchiha into a standing position, taking a moment to brush off the grass on the boy's haori.

"Happy?" Iwai looked questioningly at Tae, who just jumped up and town as she clapped her hands excitedly. "Sorry about that, Uchiha—"

"That's Obito!" Obito gasped out. "I have…a _name_!"

…

…

"Nice to see you ain't stuck up as the Uchiha I've come across." Iwai gave Obito a toothy grin. "I like you."

"Uhh…" A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of Obito's face.

"Eww, crushes!" Tae stuck out her tongue. "Why you have to do this, Iwai?!"

"You can't tell me how to live!" Iwai narrowed his eyes at the younger girl, not paying any particular attention to Obito's crimson-colored face.

"C-Can we just leave the poor boy alone—I think we've bothered him enough…" Isamu decided he had seen enough.

Meanwhile with Nuan-Ling, she just shook her head at the scene and muttered, under her breath, "Idiots."

Kakashi, who was nearby, just nodded his head in agreement, earning an offended, "Hey!" from Obito, who had _seen_ (as well as heard).

At this point, Shiki had been unable to keep herself from laughing. She was just so amused with what she had seen. She had been rather neutral about the new students in her class, with the exception of Gai, whom Shiki still felt awkward around due to what happened earlier this morning. But now, she welcomed her new classmates with open arms—they certainly made Nene-sensei's class more interesting, that's for sure.

* * *

…

…

Kakashi tried not to seem too concerned when he saw that Shiki was laughing. The last time she laughed like that, she had an asthma attack. While Kakashi might have seemed unfazed at the time when he pulled out Shiki's inhaler and handed it to her, he had been rather startled by her coughing. He knew he was staring and he probably shouldn't, but he did—just in case something went wrong.

"Oi…" Kakashi shifted his eyes to the side to see Gai, who had only just approached him. Gai seemed rather nervous just staring at him. "Um…"

"Hmm?" Kakashi blinked, wondering what it was that Gai needed from him.

"Y-You…" was all Gai could say as his face lit up with a luminescent blush.

"Me," Kakashi simply said, much to Gai's visible annoyance. Wait…didn't he have to apologize to Gai?

…

Well, he wasn't Obito, so Kakashi might as well…

"Gai." Kakashi had caught Gai by surprise when he had said his name so suddenly.

"Y-Yes?!" Gai stood up straight, his expression serious, despite the blush that had colored his face red.

"I'm…sorry for what I said to you." It was surprisingly easy to apologize, Kakashi realized.

"It's fine!" Gai exclaimed. "What's done is done—let us move forward from the past!"

"Right…" Gai was certainly interesting… "Thank you for proving me wrong."

Gai blinked a few times before a wide grin crossed his face. He gave Kakashi a thumbs-up and loudly proclaimed, "Thank you for being so honest!"

Kakashi stared wide-eyed at Gai. He…hadn't expected to hear that from Gai, of all people. And yet, Kakashi found himself not actually minding. If anything, his father's words were echoing through his head, reminding Kakashi of the potential Gai had to become his rival. It was not an unwanted thought, now that he actually had a second chance to interact with the boy.

"What's wrong?" Gai furrowed his brow.

"It's nothing." Kakashi averted his gaze, trying not to seem flustered as heat spread across his cheeks.

…

…

* * *

Physical education came and went, with classes being dismissed afterwards. On her way to Meme-sensei's kunoichi class, Shiki had the chance of witnessing Tae dragging Isamu and Iwai alongside her as she followed after the female students in her classroom to Momo-sensei's kunoichi class. Had she not already been aware that just about any student could take kunoichi classes if they wished to, Shiki might have had her questions. But she didn't.

The only questions Shiki had was what she was going to learn today. And when she discovered that music had been the subject of interest Meme-sensei was going to teach, Shiki was ecstatic. Shiki liked music and, while she wasn't too certain, she felt her kikaichū did as well. She could always feel them stirring whenever she played the koto with her cousin, Shikuro.

The class setting had changed in order to fit the subject being taught, so instead of Meme-sensei holding her class outdoors, amongst flora and fauna, it was now held indoors, in a rather formal setting.

"Normally, you're supposed to get the instrument you're assigned to in Momo-chan's class," Meme-sensei began. "But seeing as the common assumption is that everyone in this class has enough experience with their instruments to make it here, I can certainly make exceptions if you've already had experience."

And that was how Meme-sensei ensured that Shiki wouldn't have to learn how to play another instrument—not when she already knew how to play the koto. Shiki was practically beaming as she tested out the koto that had been given to her. It certainly took her mind off of things, with how nervous she had been initially upon seeing how much larger Meme-sensei's class had gotten.

Of course, with the increase in the amount of students Meme-sensei was teaching, so came an increase in helpers, with Kushinada making a surprise return. At least, Shiki had assumed it was Kushinada, until she noticed the lack of a beauty mark under the redhead's right eye.

" _Aww, fuck…"_ A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of Shiki's face as she realized she was seeing the actual Uzumaki Kushina in person.

Unlike her older twin, Kushina wasn't one to say much, looking as though she was screaming on the inside each time a student asked her for help. She did a great job helping anyone out despite this, but for the most part, she seemed out of her element in Meme-sensei's class.

Maybe that was the reason why Shiki had decided to move closer to the fourteen-year-old girl, when she could have kept to herself. After all, Shiki knew how to play the koto—she didn't need any help. But Kushina did.

"You are…Uzumaki-san's younger sister—am I correct?" Not exactly the best way for Shiki to make a first impression on Kushina, but she didn't have anything better to say than that.

"You're right-ttebane." For someone who was described as talkative, Kushina was anything but. She didn't appear headstrong, impulsive, nor eccentric. But she was at least stubborn with the way she refused to let her voice waver, despite how nervous she was. "Have you met Shina?"

"She is the reason I am here," Shiki replied as she plucked a couple of strings on the koto with her tsume-tipped fingers. "I was expecting you to be a bit like her."

Kushina laughed awkwardly as she tucked a lock of red hair behind her ear. "I get that a lot…and if I were to be honest, I wish I was like her. She's cute, girly, and says the most adorable thing when she's so excited, unlike me-ttebane."

" _Well, that's interesting."_ Because from what Shiki heard about Kushina from Kushinada, it was that Kushinada thought Kushina's verbal tic was cuter than hers was. Kushinada also described her sister as tomboyish, which could explain why Kushina seemed so out of her element. "I think you're just as cute as your sister."

"Ehhhh?!" Kushina stared wide-eyed at Shiki, her face almost as red as her hair.

" _Shit!"_ Shiki hadn't meant to say that out loud—it just came out! "I-I-I—I'm sorry!"

Heat rushed to Shiki's face as she continued to stare at Kushina, her heartbeat racing at a speed that was too fast for comfort. She could feel the sting of tears in her eyes. She wanted to cry…she really wanted to cry. And she would have, had Kushina not latched onto her so suddenly.

" _Huh?!"_ Shiki blinked as she found herself in Kushina's _strong_ embrace. _"Ack…can't breathe…!"_

"You have no idea how much you've made my day-dattebane!" Kushina was beaming, no longer appearing as nervous as she was before. "You say I'm cute, but I think you're just the cutest little thing I've ever met!"

" _Air…ack…"_ Shiki could feel her lungs beginning to constrict, the urge to cough rising. Her skin was prickling and if she didn't act now, Kushina was going to get hurt. It had been difficult charge up a tiny amount of chakra to her hand, but she managed. _"Don't…hurt her…"_

Shiki's heart practically stopped when she heard Kushina shriek. Hundreds of tiny, black beetles crawled from Shiki onto Kushina, covering the redhead's clothes in a noticeable swarm. It wasn't that surprising that Kushina released Shiki.

_Fwump!_

Shiki landed flat on the tatami floor, coughing violently as she tried to regain her lost oxygen. Even though she wasn't having an asthma attack, it still scared her whenever she felt she couldn't breathe. Though, right now, she was more scared that Kushina was going to hate her for what her kikaichū did…and _terrified_ that her kikaichū were going to hurt Kushina.

_No no nonononono—NO!_

How did everything just escalate so quickly?! Kushina hadn't meant any harm! Shiki knew that, but she wasn't so sure of her kikaichū, considering the way they had reacted was out of self-defense for their host. As soon as Shiki had stopped coughing, she turned her attention to Kushina and hoped that the situation couldn't get any worse.

Fortunately, for Shiki, her kikaichū weren't doing any harm to Kushina. Other than looking visibly frazzled, Kushina was completely fine…and currently brushing off kikaichū off her clothes.

"Eww, eww, eww!" Kushina was not having a good time, but otherwise, she was fine.

Sighing in relief, Shiki beckoned at her kikaichū, her hand glowing blue with chakra. Without any delay, the swarm of kikaichū covering Kushina's body left her and returned to Shiki. It was quite _strange_ to have so many kikaichū come back to her at once. Not exactly something Shiki wished to experience again, but knowing what the future had in store for her—she might as well get used to it.

" _Joy…"_ Shiki huffed as she stood up. She smoothed out any creases on her jacket first before walking over to Kushina, somewhat aware that she was being stared at by her classmates. She could hear whispering and it was unnerving, but Shiki tried to ignore it as she reached out to Kushina.

"D-Don't!" Kushina backed away from Shiki, violet eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Shiki felt her heart sink and her blood run cold. "I'm…sorry…"

"N-N-No—don't apologize!" Kushina waved her arms and shook her head. "I should be the one saying sorry-dattebane!"

"Wha?" Shiki hadn't been expecting that.

"I'm a bit too impulsive for my own good sometimes…" Kushina laughed awkwardly as she scratched the back of her head. "I should have realized you were an Aburame—could have made me think twice about keeping my hands to myself-ttebane."

"It…it is fine…" Shiki was just so _relieved_. "Though, it had nothing to do with that."

"Do with what?" Kushina knelt down to Shiki's level. She was still rather wary about making any physical contact with the girl, but not enough for her to completely avoid Shiki.

"You just caught me by surprise." Rather badly at that, Shiki wanted to add, but decided against it. "And you were holding me rather tightly, so I was not able to breathe…"

Which scared the living daylights out of Shiki because she liked being able to breathe and it was hard for her not to panic when she couldn't, because it reminded her of the day when she found out she had asthma.

"Ehehehe…" Kushina forced a smile that looked so awkward. "L-Like I said—I should be the one saying sorry instead of you, since it's not your fault I got covered in bugs. So don't feel bad-ttebane."

Shiki blinked and offered Kushina a small smile. "Do not feel so bad either, then…"

"Heehee…you really are cute," Kushina remarked as she gently patted Shiki on the head. "You're fine with this, right?"

"I do not mind." Shiki was happy…and she was also quite nervous, since she could still hear her classmates whispering amongst themselves. And she wasn't too sure, but she suspected that they were still staring at her and Kushina. _"Well, that's what happens when you cause a scene, Shiki…"_

It amused Shiki with how she could be sarcastic with herself at times…

"What're you looking at-dattebane?!" Kushina proved to be intimidating enough, with her fiery-red hair flying wildly around her like the snakes that made up Medusa's hair.

Shiki was tempted to touch Kushina's hair—extremely tempted. But she kept her hands to herself and returned to her koto. She sat down in the correct way of seiza and began plucking at the strings, waiting for Kushina to finish silencing everyone with her intimidating appearance. Once everyone had turned their attention away from the two of them and had ceased their whisperings, Kushina joined Shiki's side and started talking to her about trivial matters.

It was strange that such a situation could even occur, but Shiki was starting to wonder, from how very little Kushinada never talked about anyone but her sister, if the twins only had each other. It would certainly explain why Kushina only ever mentioned Kushinada, should she drop a name…

" _And why she sounds so lonely…"_ Shiki had a slight feeling that part of the reason had to do with the fact that Kushina was the current container for the Kyuubi, Kurama. With only Kushinada there who possibly knew of the situation, it was probably easy for Kushina feel lonely outside of the presence of her twin. _"Kushinada…"_

Even though Kushinada probably shouldn't have existed, Shiki no longer felt that way. Kushinada was a person…just like Gai's older sister, Kai. They existed in the world she now lived in, holding importance to the people that knew them. And it was frightening, to consider the idea that in the manga Shiki had read, she had never seen nor read any mention of Kushinada or Kai. Because it made her wonder if there was a reason for that—and for whatever that reason may be, it had to do with the disappearance of Kushinada and Kai.

"Hey, that's a pretty tune!" Kushina smiled as she listened to the melody Shiki played on the koto.

It was the same melody Shiki would find herself playing, each time she practiced with her cousin, Shikuro. In her past life, it would have just been any other melody from a video game she never had a chance to finish. But here in this world, where that game didn't exist, it was just a connection Shiki had with the past. It didn't have the same sound that she faintly recalled, but that didn't matter to her. What mattered was that she still remembered.

And she was happy that it found a way into her life, as something she can share with others—something that made them smile. If only Shiki wasn't so shy, then she would have happily sang the song that came with it.

For now, this was fine.

* * *

…

…

When Shinjiro had arrived to pick up his daughter after classes, he was rather pleased to see her so content. It was certainly a change from what happened the other day, when she had seem so distressed. He almost wanted to ask her why she seemed so happy, but decided against it. It was better he just accept that she was happy. Or, at the very least, wait for Shiki to talk to him.

"Otou-san?" Which is what Shiki was now doing. "Do you know of anyone named Uzumaki Kushina-san?"

Shinjiro had heard that name before. If he recalled correctly, the name belonged to a refugee from Uzushiogakure, who had a nearly identical twin sister. Their red hair made them rather distinctive enough for Shinjiro to remember them (not many people in Konoha had red hair of that particular shade and intensity), even though he had only seen them around town a couple of times. The twins were always together when he saw them…because from what he remembered, it was only a year ago, on this very day, that the two no longer had anyone but each other when their parents became one of the many casualties of the war.

…

"What do you wish to know?" Shinjiro felt as though he was going to regret asking that question…and he did, when Shiki asked, "Is there any reason why she would be lonely?"

Truly, his daughter had the strangest habit of unintentionally coming upon people who have experienced tragedy. It made him rather uncomfortable, because Shinjiro did not want his daughter to stop smiling. But since his daughter asked…Shinjiro at least had to provide some sort of answer.

"She and a handful of others have lost the place they had once called home—Uzushiogakure." A village that only existed in ruins, now. "And even though Konohagakure is now their home, I would assume it is hard to leave behind memories of the place they had called home. It may be the reason for her loneliness."

But that was only a guess Shinjiro could make without telling Shiki about what today probably meant for the Uzumaki twins.

Shiki had ceased smiling. "What happened to Uzushiogakure?"

"Perhaps you should ask Kunie." Shinjiro felt Kunie would do a much better job than he did at explaining what had happened to Uzushio. "She may be able to provide some insight on Uzumaki Kushina-san, if that is what you wish to know."

"Okay…thank you for telling me." And there was that smile of hers.

Shinjiro truly did treasure his daughter…

…

…

* * *

Come the next day, Shiki found out that, despite her new classmates, nothing much had actually changed. Apart from how the school day commenced (and what went on throughout the day), nothing deviated from the usual routine Shiki had fallen into once she had adjusted to the Academy life. That was not to say that it was a bad thing, it was more that Shiki was able to get through the day without any issues.

The only notable difference that Shiki could actually point out was the introduction of Uzumaki Kushina into her life. During each kunoichi class that Meme-sensei taught, Shiki provided Kushina the company that the redhead secretly desired. For someone who was used to pushing people away after how she had been treated during her Academy days and having people avoid her because of her reputation, Kushina was visibly content to have someone, other than her sister, as a friend.

Even though Kushina had only meant to volunteer for a single day as one of Meme-sensei's helpers, Shiki had managed to convince the Uzumaki to stay. It was an unexpected outcome, but Kushina wasn't complaining (though, she did like to complain about how it was her turn to cook dinner or some other household task). If anything, Kushina was rather glad she took her sister's suggestion to volunteer as means of having something to do when her Jounin instructor gave her team the month off.

"What is it like being a Genin?" Shiki had heard enough from her relatives, some of whom have been promoted to Chuunin at this point in time.

"A pain in the ass." Kushina pouted her lips in annoyance, her eyes narrowed. "D-ranks are just the worst-ttebane."

"Ah…that makes sense." Shiki had certainly heard a lot about D-ranks…but her relatives were more polite about it when it came to voicing their frustrations. Of course, that could have been because Shiki was young, which was certainly not an aspect that Kushina was taking into consideration. Not that Shiki minded or anything—it felt nice to have someone who treated her differently instead of someone who was only four years old.

At the end of the week, when Shiki was left with Sakumo and Kakashi while Shinjiro left to take Obito home, she found herself being dragged off by Kakashi the instant they had arrived at the Hatake Residence. Where Kakashi took her, was the same place he had taken her the day after she and her father had spent the night: the dojo. There was something in Kakashi's head that made him want to help Shiki improve her current experience with kunai. Shiki had no idea what it was, but she wasn't complaining.

Shiki was hoping that it would convince Shibi to move her onto shuriken, when it came to his attention that he had nothing left to teach her that didn't involve years of practice. She just wanted as much of a head start as she could get, considering the upcoming war in her and everyone else's future.

* * *

…

…

Shinjiro had no idea what to think of Sakumo's child teaching his daughter how to improve her aim with kunai. He felt that Shibi was already doing a fine job as is, but Kakashi…he was certainly proving to be quite the prodigy, for someone who was barely turning five this year. Sakumo had even voiced his concern to Shinjiro when he had received a message from Kakashi's instructor, Shimura Nene.

There had been enough signs for Nene to notice to consider Kakashi for early graduation. Of course, that was assuming Kakashi kept surpassing the expectations Nene had for her class. It was only his second month attending the Academy, after all.

Even so, Sakumo was concerned how this would affect Kakashi's development, considering how difficult it was for his son to talk to others. On one hand, he was proud, but on the other hand, Sakumo wanted his son to enjoy his childhood while it lasted.

Shinjiro could understand Sakumo's concern, considering how he, himself, had been encouraged by his own family to take his time while he was at the Academy. Shinjiro was only ten when he had graduated and became a Genin under a sixteen-year-old Mochizuki Sadako. He was still rather young, but not as young as those in Sakumo's generation had been when they graduated at such a young age, the average being around seven-years-old with Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade's graduations at six being the only known outliers.

Shinjiro's life had gotten rough since he became a Genin. He could barely even imagine how it must have been like for those in Sakumo's generation, considering the potential of many botched C-rank missions. How many Genin could have been in his position, when he was just months away from turning twelve, at an age younger than he was…it was a heavy thought.

But then there was Sakumo, whom had killed for the very first time when he was only eight years old. Such a heavy burden to bear at such a young age—and for Kakashi to potentially experience what his father had gone through at a young age as well was a rather unpleasant thought. It was a thought that must have not bode well with Sakumo.

At least, that's all Shinjiro could assume because he wasn't one to pry into personal matters. Even so, he could understand what Sakumo meant when he wanted Kakashi to enjoy his childhood while it lasted…because Sakumo never had a chance to do so.

Though, the more Shinjiro watched Kakashi help Shiki with her aim, the more he realized that Sakumo didn't have that much to worry about—because it seemed as though Kakashi wasn't so keen on leaving his friend behind at the Academy. And as far as Shinjiro knew, Shiki was in no rush to graduate early.

If anything, Kakashi might have a concern of his own, and that was knowing what to do, _should_ he end up graduating early. While Shinjiro wasn't one to pry into the business of others, he at least felt it wouldn't be too intrusive of him to mention the Genin Reserves to Sakumo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like I go back to college as of today, so I wanted to get this chapter up while I can. Anyways, the Genin Reserves are still a thing in this story, which I will go into when the time is right, but just know, that the reason the Genin Reserves are there is because of Kishimoto's inconsistencies involving Kakashi and his Academy life. Like, I wasn't going to mess with what was already stated, but rather, I wanted to explain how it could have happened.
> 
> I'm just stubborn like that…and I feel you've seen enough of my OCs to familiarize yourselves with how they are. As far as I know, I have no idea what happened to Tae. Iwai just made me laugh because like, yeah, he's crushing on Obito, but what makes it funny when you recall who the biological father is to the Takemi Triplets and the situation involving Sasuke in Butterfly Child. Just…this is what I mean by how these stories are connected.
> 
> And oh, by the way, I never really had a chance to explain in Butterfly Child, but like…kunoichi classes are mandatory to female students (notice the way I phrased it), but they're not just for female students. Anyone can actually take them if they wished to. It's just that with Chōko's situation, during peacetime, not many students take the initiative and considering how much she had to learn…it would discourage students from learning something that's completely optional to them.
> 
> I ended up creating my very first Uchiha OC because of this expansion… But eh, what are you going to do? Expect Kōichi to pop up one of these days—I'm not too sure, but I feel they might as well be a reference to Hirose Kōichi (in name only) from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 4 Diamond is Unbreakable.
> 
> So like speaking of references, the video game Shiki was talking about that she never got to finish was Final Fantasy IX (which is probably one of my favorites, alongside Final Fantasy VI). The music is basically Garnet's song, Song of Memories (look it up, it's really pretty) and I thought it would be fitting for Shiki, since Chōko has Inochi no Kioku (Memories of Life) from Studio Ghibli's The Tale of Princess Kaguya.
> 
> ANYWAYS LET'S TALK ABOUT THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM. So like, Kushina popped up…and basically, she and her sister, Kushinada—yeah, all they have is each other because it's been over a year since their parents died. And before that, it's been a certain number of years since Uzushiogakure was destroyed.
> 
> So I don't know how, but Shiki made friends with Kushina, who is rather happy, since, again, all she has is Kushinada. And so the subject of how Kushinada, as well as Kai, wasn't ever shown in the manga pops up…and it brings up a rather scary situation, because maybe there is a reason why they were never shown. Whatever it is, it has to do with them being gone after a certain point in time. And considering the relationships these OCs have with canon characters…yeah.
> 
> Also, Kakashi has apologized to Gai and Obito is starting to open up some more. Also, Gai somehow ended up being interesting enough for Tae to just NOT want to leave him alone, so Gai kinda has friends? Ehh, just don't mistake what Tae has for a crush, because, again, she's aromantic and FYI, anyone I state as aromantic is excluded from any shipping of the romantic kind. So that means Shinjiro's off limits to romance.
> 
> Moving onto the shipping games, the set pairing for this fic still involves polyamory, meaning ships like Kishito (Shiki/Kakashi/Obito), Karishi (Kakashi/Rin/Shiki), whatever the awesome foursome would be called (Kakashi/Shiki/Rin/Obito), and Kakashi/Gai/Shiki (I need a name for this one) are considered poly ships…so ship to your hearts content or suggest away!
> 
> So that's about it for now and I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, because I'm having a good time just working with this fic again. Until next time, everyone!


	14. Growth

The following day brought Shiki into town, where her cousins took her out to their usual hangout for karaoke. Kunie had rented out the room for the five of them and Chitose had a rather lively time ordering food and drinks. Chihiro was a little stressed out trying to keep his older brother from going over their budget and Chiaki…fell asleep on the couch, with his head resting on Shiki's lap.

It was rather strange, in the sense that Shiki was seeing some other form of technology (the karaoke equipment) that _wasn't_ from the hospital. She still hadn't quite figured out the proceedings for technological advancements and, at this point, she would rather not search for it. Technology as a whole was rather confusing in the world of _Naruto_ and Shiki decided that she was better off acknowledging that things either existed or not. After all, it held not much importance to her in the long run—not when she had people to save.

For now, Shiki was content just trying to figure out what eye color her triplet cousins possessed. Ever since she had seen Shinobu's eyes, as well as Kunie's eyes, Shiki had grown rather curious about the triplets' eyes. It would at least give her some insight on what possible eye colors her Great-Aunt Shiki and Great-Uncle Naomi could have.

Based on the observations she had made, Shiki could tell that the triplets took after their mother the most, having inherited her dark green hair and facial features, as well as the fact that they were all shinobi, like her. All the triplets had inherited from their civilian father was his olive skin.

And even though Naomi wasn't an Aburame by blood (nor was he native to Konoha), having been adopted into the clan at a young age, he still wore a pair of sunglasses, which is why Shiki had never seen his eyes. When Shiki had asked why, Naomi just mentioned that it made him feel more connected to the clan that had taken him in when he was found during a mission, crying because was lost and alone.

Shiki certainly had a lot more to learn about her clan, but for what it was worth, she wasn't unhappy with what she discovered. But it just made her even sadder, considering what she had learned from Kunie and Shinobu—it made Shiki worried about anyone else in her clan getting hurt by others.

"Are you okay, Shiki?" Chiaki had certainly startled Shiki when he suddenly spoke as she continued to stare at his face. When had he woken up? "You seem a bit distressed…"

"Umm…what color are your eyes?" Shiki bit her lip. She didn't know what else to say, and she most certainly didn't want to bring up serious topics. Besides, now that Chiaki was awake, it seemed her mind latched onto the idea of possibly seeing her cousin's eyes. "I-If you do not mind…may I?"

There was just something inside of Shiki that kept urging her to just take Chiaki's sunglasses off his face. It was so tempting, but Shiki didn't want to be rude.

"Is that it?" A gentle smile crossed Chiaki's face. "If it'll make you better, then go ahead…"

Without even waiting a second longer, Shiki removed Chiaki's sunglasses and found herself staring into a pair of differently colored eyes—one an intense blue, the other a light green, both of which were embellished with thick lashes of dark green. The way the light reflected off Chiaki's eyes made them appear as if though they were glowing.

"Wow…" Shiki breathed, utterly amazed with what she was seeing. Heterochromia was something she always found amazing and just to see it in person, for herself, was just…she was speechless.

It was at that moment that music started playing and not long after that, Kunie started singing, her voice and the music syncing together in what Shiki felt was perfect harmony. She had never thought someone could sing so beautifully…nor did she ever think someone could chug down a glass of juice so fast, like her cousin, Chitose, just did. Chihiro certainly wasn't amused as he pointed out, to Chitose, that there were straws. Chitose just flicked a peanut at Chihiro, laughing when it hit him right in the forehead.

" _I want to just start running and leap all the way to tomorrow,_

_Doo doo do,_

_Oh oh o-o-o-o!"_

These were her cousins…a small handful out of the many that lived in the compound, but still part of her family. And Shiki couldn't be any happier, because right now…everything was fine.

And nothing hurt.

" _Even if yesterday's sunrise isn't there,_

_Doo doo do,_

_That's okay, that's all okay…"_

…

…

* * *

Obito had only meant to play today. He had no classes, the soreness had become bearable, and it was just a really nice day outside. It had been a while since Obito had left his apartment to go to the playground. He always played alone, since he had a hard time talking to the other children—civilian children, especially. He never minded. Or rather—he just didn't care, because, for a brief period of time, he felt that everything was fine.

Because he wasn't completely alone in that apartment room of his…nor did he have to face the reality that he was on his own. He was five years old and just another child amongst the many that swarmed the playground at the start of each week, when classes of any sort were not in session.

It made Obito feel… _free_. Free from anything that could hurt him…and he wouldn't have it any other way.

Except—on his way to the playground, Obito had come across an old woman, struggling with the load of groceries she had finished buying. No one paid much attention to her, just walking past her, while he just stood there, staring.

" _Why isn't anyone helping her?"_ Obito was used to seeing the Uchiha, who were like him, caring for their elderly caretakers.

Whether it was for something difficult or something just so trivial, they still did whatever was needed to be done, whether they were asked for help or not. Because it was respectful of them to do so—because their caretakers had cared, when no one else did, so when it was time to return the favor, they did so without asking for anything in return. Just knowing that someone cared was enough…it was _always_ enough.

So to see this old woman in particular, go on without any help—it threw off Obito. It _really_ threw him off. And it also made him feel bad, because the old woman seemed to be around the same age as the couple who had raised him. To just keep watching her like this was as though he was ignoring his caretakers… _and he couldn't have that_.

" _There's still enough time to play,"_ was what Obito thought to himself as he helped the old woman out with her groceries. He walked with her all the way to her house, carrying her groceries that were a little heavier than he had expected them to be—but he didn't complain. All he did was respond back to her when she had started talking to him. It took his mind off the weight of the groceries he was carrying, that he was surprised that he made it all the way to the woman's house without struggling once.

He was even more surprised that he followed the old woman into her house and helped her put away her groceries. He was wasting so much time that he could have spent playing at the playground, helping an old woman he had only just met…

But it didn't bother him.

" _Why?"_ It was a question that was most definitely on Obito's mind as he started rearranging the way the old woman had everything in her kitchen—so that she could easily access it without any issues. He made sure things were in her reach, that nothing was either too high or too low.

And right after that, he helped her with her dishes. One thing always led to another and Obito just found that he couldn't stop.

…

It was late in the afternoon when Obito finally left the old woman's house. His hands were filthy, as were his pants, from kneeling down onto the ground to pull out weeds in the old woman's garden. He was exhausted, as well as somewhat frustrated that he no longer had much time to play today—not when he had spent most of it helping that old woman.

And yet, Obito does not feel regret whatsoever as he slips a hand into his pocket to feel the cool glass of the corked bottle he had been given by the old woman as a gift of gratitude. Inside the bottle were numerous pieces of colorful konpeitō—an expensive candy that Obito had always wanted to try, but never had the extra funds to do so.

Instead of regret, all Obito feels is happiness—happiness and a sense of recognition.

* * *

…

…

It was so subtle—like if you blinked, you would miss it. But Rin could see it so clearly, how Obito looked so content when he entered the classroom this morning. She never asked any questions, of course. She was satisfied just noticing.

That was why she continued to observe Obito, as she usually did because she wanted to see if anything else had changed. Because maybe, just maybe, it would help her find an opening to give Obito the nudge he needed to either apologize or get along with Kakashi.

He was getting better and Rin could tell. That was why she was so determined to continue what she was doing, which was keeping these three classmates of her together. She knew she was the one linking them together, being both Obito and Shiki's friend. She had always been an observant girl.

If Rin hadn't been so observant, then she wouldn't have helped her father out when he had taken her to the hospital, so that she could see him at work. She wouldn't have discovered how much medical ninjutsu was intriguing on that day. And had that not happened, she wouldn't have seen medical ninjutsu the same way she did now and instead, would have seen it as something she was obligated to learn, as someone from the Nohara clan.

It was the little details that most people would overlook that Rin never took for granted…and she was glad. And even though she wasn't as smart as Kakashi, she knew that being not as smart didn't mean ignorant.

Kakashi might have known more than Rin could possibly know now, at her current age… But Kakashi wouldn't know how to keep a fish out of water alive for more than five minutes. Nor would he know more about the human body other than the locations of the vital points (Rin had heard from Shiki regarding how Kakashi had been helping her improve her aim with kunai and made inferences from there). And the reason why was simple—because he wasn't required to have that knowledge on him.

But Rin _did_ and with each passing week, her chakra control improved. Her body was slowly adjusting to the exhaustion that came with each exercise she was given. Eventually, there would come a day when she would learn the Mystical Palm Jutsu. But until then, Rin still had a lot to learn and even afterwards, she would still have more to learn.

Because one never stopped learning, no matter how much of an expert a person was. So rather than fret over what she didn't know, as most students her age would (and it was sad that they did), Rin was content with what she already knew—even if it wasn't much. After all, she was only four and so much could happen within the span of a year, if the past month had taught her anything when she first came across Shiki.

Speaking of Shiki, here she came—smiling as usual, even though most wouldn't notice because of the way her face was nearly hidden. But Rin noticed and she was satisfied with just that.

…

…

* * *

Come lunchtime, Obito managed to surprise Kakashi, as well as Rin and Shiki, when he offered the silver-haired boy some of the konpeitō he had in the glass bottle he had brought with him. It was one thing when Obito had shared with Rin and it was certainly another when Obito decided to do the same with Shiki…but Kakashi? Obito didn't like Kakashi…and the feeling most definitely mutual.

Knowing that raised the question of why. And Kakashi would have asked had Shiki not nudged him. Though she said nothing, Kakashi could tell she just wanted him to accept Obito's offer without any question. So he did and his eyes were now focused on the colorful spiky balls of sugar that were in the palm of his right hand.

Kakashi wasn't a fan of sweets…nor was he a fan of fried food, but he most definitely did not like anything sweet. Of course, under Shiki's expectant stare, he didn't have much of a choice…nor did he want to give Obito another reason to call him rude. As for Rin…well, he didn't have much to say about her, since she was more preoccupied with Obito and Shiki.

…

Konpeitō was surprisingly flavorless, for looking so colorful. It was also hard and tasted like sugar—in fact, it probably _was_ sugar. It boggled Kakashi's mind, as he continued to crunch down on the piece of konpeitō in his mouth, that Obito had mentioned how expensive it was.

" _Maybe the way it's made?"_ Kakashi could only guess for now and if he were to be honest, he didn't exactly hate konpeitō…surprisingly. There were only a select number of sweets Kakashi could stomach without showing any distaste. Konpeitō turned out to be one of them.

Kakashi still didn't know why Obito had even bothered to share with him. And it confused him when he realized that Rin hadn't even said anything to Obito—the Uchiha had done it on his own.

" _Strange…"_ Now if only Obito would apologize, then _maybe_ Kakashi would try to get along.

For now, this was fine…things were changing, and Shiki seemed happy because Rin was happy. As for Kakashi—well, he certainly wasn't disliking anything.

* * *

…

…

Sakumo was having a slightly distressing time as he endured a scolding from one of the many Genin that were cleaning the Hatake residence. She was an eight-year-old girl with long, curly black hair and wore oval-shaped glasses with opaque lenses. She was shorter than he was, but she was certainly taller than he had last remembered she was. She was also not as thin nor as malnourished, but that was something better left unsaid about unwanted memories Mochizuki Suzume had before Sakumo had found her during one of his missions a few years ago.

While it was nice to see that the orphan he had rescued and given to the Mochizuki clan was hale and hearty, Sakumo would have rather met again under different circumstances. After all, there were better ways to discover that Suzume was a germaphobe.

There were also better ways to remember how it was that Aburame Shinjiro earned his Jounin promotion. And Sakumo could have done without the nasty shock the Aburame had given him this morning, after he had dropped off Kakashi at the Academy. Sakumo honestly had no idea how Shinjiro managed to sneak up on him without him _noticing_. And the kikaichū—they were _everywhere_.

Shinjiro was not a force to be reckoned with and Sakumo was starting to understand why the Aburame was referred to as wasted potential in the gossip he had heard around town. Speaking of Shinjiro, the Aburame was currently just standing there, watching Sakumo get chewed out by an eight-year-old girl who was on the verge of _tears_ because of the amount of filth she had to clean up. She was in such a frazzled state that she started to repeat herself in a manner that had Sakumo concerned.

Fortunately, Shinjiro seemed to have an idea of what to do as he picked up Suzume by the waist and carried her outside for some fresh air. Less than fifteen minutes had passed before he returned, holding Suzume by the hand as she walked by his side. She appeared much calmer than before, despite the fact that she was sniffing every few moments or so.

"Keep clean?" Suzume asked Shinjiro after the two had stopped in front of Shinjiro.

"Keep clean," Shinjiro said firmly. "I will make sure of that."

Feeling satisfied with what she heard, Suzume released Shinjiro's hand and walked off. As soon as Suzume was out of earshot, Sakumo sighed loudly in relief. It was at that instant that Shinjiro suddenly spoke to Sakumo, nearly causing the older man to choke on his spit.

"You are going to have to make it a habit to put in requests to keep this place clean after all of this." Shinjiro's visor sunglasses gleamed eerily in the light.

"R-Right…" Sakumo swallowed hard as a small bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. He had almost forgotten how forceful Shinjiro could be, considering what the Aburame had done in order to ensure that the Hatake residence was cleaned.

Really, it was amazing that Shinjiro had managed to place a request at the Mission Assignment Desk without Sakumo's knowledge. Of course, Sakumo was under different orders when it came to accepting missions, usually waiting for any messages that came his way from the Sandaime. So it wasn't that unlikely that Shinjiro was able to do what he had done, now that Sakumo thought more about it.

"I know you must not want to seem like a burden to others, but it is quite fine to ask for help every once in a while," Shinjiro remarked. "So do feel free to ask for assistance, because you have family that is willing to assist. Otherwise, I _will_ take matters into my own hands—understand?"

"I…understand." Sakumo had certainly learned his lesson.

"Also, you are not allowed to reimburse the costs I will cover," Shinjiro was quick to add.

"Wh-What?!" Sakumo could not believe what he was hearing. "Oh no—you are not doing this!"

Sakumo had his limits to how much charity he could accept. But Shinjiro had absolutely no limits, whatsoever, when it came to his concern for others. Sakumo might have known this, but he still tried anyways, despite knowing that it was of no use.

No matter how many years have passed, there were just some things that refused to change. And even though Sakumo was apprehensive about it, deep down…he appreciated it.

…

…

* * *

Shiki had almost forgotten what had made her so hesitant to attend Meme-sensei's advanced kunoichi class— _almost_. Then she finally noticed what had changed in the past week, now that Meme-sensei's class had moved away from toxicology to music. It was only her second week into this particular class, but Shiki could tell something had changed and it had nothing to do with Kushina. If anything, Kushina might have been the reason why it took Shiki much longer to notice.

But she still noticed and what she noticed was that her classmates had stopped talking to her altogether. They paid her no attention, even though in the past month, they had all but left her alone when she stood out as the only first year in Meme-sensei's class. Shiki was on her own again…or she would have been, had Kushina not been there.

"Is something wrong?" Kushina's voice snapped Shiki out of her thoughts. "You just stopped playing-ttebane."

Kushina was frowning, appearing concerned for Shiki. Shiki was almost ready to respond as though nothing was wrong, but she stopped to think for a moment…and then decided to tell Kushina what was on her mind. While it was nice to have someone to voice her observation to, Shiki was worried about how Kushina was going to react.

Would Kushina tell her she was overreacting? Shiki didn't know, but she was already preparing herself for the dreaded response. And yet…it never came.

Instead, Kushina's expression dimmed. "Sorry—it's probably because of me-ttebane."

_Why is she blaming herself?_

"I…tend to drive people away." Kushina tucked a lock of red hair behind her ear. "They don't like me much…except for you, but now—they're avoiding you too-ttebane. All because of me…"

_Stop talking like that._

"I should have realized that this would happen." Kushina laughed weakly. "But I guess I got a little selfish."

_Please—_ _**stop** _ _._

"You probably shouldn't even be hanging out with a person like me-ttebane." Kushina averted her gaze. "I'm not really a nice person—maybe I should just leave—"

_Stop!_

"Huuhh?!" Kushina froze still when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, a face burying itself into her side. "Wha…?"

"Stop…" Shiki's voice was firm, albeit muffled.

"Stop?" Kushina repeated, perplexed with Shiki's sudden behavior. "Stop what? A-Are you okay-dattebane? Please don't cry!"

Shiki wasn't crying…she was _not_ crying. There was nothing in her eyes—her chest just hurt. It hurt because of the way Kushina was talking about herself—that was all. That's all it was.

And Shiki wanted it to stop.

"I do not care if you are selfish…" Shiki had never even thought Kushina was selfish. "Or if you are the reason the others have left me alone. All I care is that you stay and that you stop talking like that—so can you? Please?"

…

…

"Okay," was all Kushina could say as she wrapped her arms around the Aburame. This was probably the first time since last week that Kushina had engaged in any sort of physical contact with Shiki beyond a simple pat on the head. "I'll stop."

There was something completely different about Kushina that Shiki couldn't exactly describe. It was just a feeling she had—a feeling that only intensified when Kushina's hair began to fly wildly in the air. Kushina was most likely responding to the numerous stares she and Shiki were receiving from the others. At least, Shiki assumed they were being stared at, because she could hear her classmates whispering to each other again.

It was just like last time, when Kushina and Shiki first met—except this time, Shiki actually touched Kushina's hair. She couldn't help herself and it was just _so close_ — "Aah!"

While soft to the touch, Shiki found that she couldn't hold onto Kushina's fiery-red hair for more than a few seconds because of an intense burst of energy that suddenly swelled up inside of her. Her skin was prickling with a strange warmth and her heartbeat was racing—it was though Shiki had caffeinated herself with an energy drink. Except…there was nothing unpleasant about the sensation.

In fact, it actually felt… _nice_. So nice, that Shiki wanted to laugh. But she didn't laugh and instead, she smiled so widely, that her cheeks were hurting. She was just so… **happy**.

* * *

…

…

"I am so sorry—I never meant for this to happen-ttebane!" Kushina apologized profusely to the tall young man standing in front of her. "I should have been paying more attention! I just never thought this would happen—I'm extremely sorry, dattebane!"

Kushina had only wanted the others to stop staring at her and Shiki. She wanted them to stop whispering. She hadn't expected Shiki to touch her hair while it was flowing so wildly in the air because of the chakra that was flowing through it. Had Kushina anticipated the action, then maybe Shiki wouldn't have ended up this way…

While seemingly fine at first glance, Shiki hadn't exactly moved since she had touched Kushina's hair. She just stayed still, smiling widely as she stared out into space. She was completely out of it and it worried Kushina, because _this shouldn't have happened_! Except it did and it was all her fault, so now the responsibility of explaining to the girl's father of what happened fell to Kushina and she was an absolute mess because she hadn't expected Shiki's father to look _so intimidating_.

Kushina was on the verge of tears when she finally finished talking. Not once had the man, Aburame Shinjiro, said a word since she had handed him his daughter, who he now held closely to his chest. He just continued to stare at her, his expression completely devoid of any emotion. Kushina was absolutely _terrified_ and why was he patting her on the head?

Kushina blinked a few times as a hand gave her a few reassuring pats on the head. "Wha?"

"Everything is fine," Shinjiro reassured her. "You should not have to apologize for an accident."

"But I know that kids like her from your clan are sensitive to certain types of chakra-ttebane!" Kushina was quite aware of that, which is why she felt she should have known better to keep a closer eye on her interactions with Shiki.

Shinjiro stared at Kushina for a moment before nodding his head. "Well, you should also know that the reason for this sensitivity is due to the host's age. Shiki, for example, is only four and her kikaichū are still accustomed to her chakra…with some possible exceptions here and there."

"Huh?" Kushina didn't know this. "What about me-ttebane?"

"Well, I would assume you are not part of those exceptions," Shinjiro replied. "If anything, your chakra must be really special for Shiki's kikaichū to react the way they did."

Kushina shifted uncomfortably upon hearing this.

"But do not worry—no harm was done," Shinjiro reassured. "Shiki will be fine in a few hours once the effects of your chakra wear off."

"S-So…everything is fine?" Kushina bit her lip as she looked expectantly at Shinjiro.

Shinjiro nodded his head. "Everything is fine—thank you for your concern. I am quite sure Shiki will appreciate it when she comes to. For now, I think your sister is waiting for you."

"Kushina!" a voice called out to Kushina.

Kushina turned to see her twin sister calling out to her, just waiting for her near the entrance of the Academy building. That was where Kushinada always waited for her, whenever Kushina was out on a mission with her team. Of course, there were always some exceptions, but today was not one of those days. Kushinada was there and Kushina was absolutely relieved that she was.

Because without Kushinada there, Kushina wasn't even sure she would have been able to go home on her own… She wasn't even sure she was going to volunteer the next day, but Kushinada proved to be persuasive enough. And so when Kushina found herself approached by Aburame Shiki later during the day, she was surprised. She was even more surprised when the tiny girl latched onto her waist, telling her how sorry she was for yesterday.

There was something rather touching about the situation, where it was anything but Kushina's fault, even though she felt otherwise. To have someone who was happy to see her there, other than her own sister—to just have a friend, despite the age difference. It was just so… _nice_.

That evening, Kushina surprised Kushinada when she started crying once it struck her how happy she was that nothing went wrong. For the first time in Kushina's life, she felt that nothing was wrong.

…

…

* * *

As the week went by, Kakashi was starting to notice a distinct change in his life. It began when he came home to find the entire Hatake residence completely clean of any dust. Then it continued when he had a dinner consisting of food that was of a much higher quality than his father was capable of making. It was also healthier, much to his initial disdain before actually trying the food… But Kakashi didn't question it—he just acknowledged it.

It only came back to his attention at the end of the week, when Shiki went home with him and Sakumo that day. After all, it wasn't that difficult for Kakashi to put two and two together when he saw Shinjiro making dinner that evening. Though, it was strange that Sakumo was surprisingly helpless against Shinjiro. Just how did that happen?

Kakashi didn't know, but it did make him rather wary of Shiki's father. There had to be more to the man than what met the eye…

At the very least, Kakashi could at least confirm that Shinjiro was anything but bad. Thanks to him, Sakumo was smiling more often. And to Kakashi, that was completely fine…his father deserved to smile more often.

* * *

…

…

Obito woke up earlier than usual to get ready for a day out at the park. He didn't exactly want a repeat of last week, where he had spent his entire day helping out an old woman. It wasn't that he regretted what he did—Obito just wanted to go to the playground today.

Exams were coming up and Obito was still falling behind, much to his dismay. He knew that Shiki was willing to help him out—but it still frustrated him that he couldn't at least do _somewhat_ better than last time. And deep down, he was rather hesitant to accept any help, if only because the idea that he was unable to do anything on his own was just… _depressing_.

Which was why Obito wanted to go to the playground to take his mind off of things. Even if it was just for an hour—to Obito, it was enough. He just…wanted to pretend nothing was wrong. So he continued making his way towards the playground.

Except what ended up happening was that an old man had asked for Obito's assistance. And while what Obito did for the old man was anything but what he had done for the old woman, it was one of two encounters he had that day with the elderly. The instant he was done helping the old man get to his son's house, a different old woman walked up to Obito and asked him if he could help her with her shopping. That task itself took longer than Obito had expected it to. It was already noon when the old woman was halfway through her shopping list.

Obito huffed as he stood by the side, waiting for the old woman to finish bartering with a fruit stand vendor. He watched as people walked past them, taking a moment to adjust his hold on the bags in his hands. He was bored, but not exactly in any mood to complain. While he would rather be at the playground, he wasn't too annoyed with his current situation.

If anything, he actually felt at ease. Obito was of some help and was most definitely not the screw up he sometimes felt he was. He was…happy.

" _I'm…happy…"_ Obito found himself smiling, even though his arms were starting to get tired. He could do this… _"Yeah…wait—is that Shiki?"_

One of the last things Obito expected to see was Aburame Shiki out in broad daylight, outside of the Academy. She wasn't alone—she was with her relatives (as far as Obito could tell). He didn't recognize the older female Aburame by Shiki's side, though he might have recognized the olive-skinned triplets—the three were always out and about on D-rank missions. They were their own team and Obito just happen to have the luck of walking past them sometimes.

Obito still wasn't going anywhere near them or the older female. Shiki and Shinjiro were more than enough for him…Shinjiro especially. Though, as he continued to stare at the group, he couldn't help but notice how happy they all seemed.

It was so subtle, but spending enough time around Shiki made it easier for Obito to recognize when the girl was happy. And by that extension, it was easy to tell when other Aburame were just as happy. But Shiki definitely stood out the most.

Gone was her usually reserved nature as Shiki interacted so easily with her relatives, showing no hesitation nor nervousness whatsoever. Obito wasn't even sure if Shiki was ever like that with Rin, and that was certainly saying something, considering how close the two were. Shiki was just so happy—so… _loved_.

Obito frowned, feeling a small pain in his chest. He couldn't help but feel envious, because—because Shiki had a family that accepted her with open arms, when his own family (if he could even call them that) barely even acknowledged his existence. She had family that she could spend time with, while he was stuck helping out an old woman with her shopping—not that he was complaining or anything. Obito just wanted what Shiki had.

That's all…that's all it really was, if he were to be honest. He still had the elderly couple back at the Uchiha District, but they wouldn't always be there…and that's what worried him the most. Of course, they weren't going anywhere, anytime soon…but it was still a concern Obito had.

As Obito watched Shiki and her relatives disappear into the crowd of people, it came to his attention that this was probably one of the rarer times that Shiki was ever out of her compound. Shiki never spoke much about what she did outside of what happened within her clan's compound. It was strange, but Obito had heard that most Aburame children stayed within the confines of their compound until a certain age for various reasons. Not to say that they didn't go out from time to time, it was just so rare to see young Aburame in public outside of the Academy.

" _I wonder…"_ An idea had popped up in Obito's mind, just as the old woman had finished her business with the fruit stand vendor. _"I gotta tell Rin…"_

For now, he had an old woman to help…and he was completely fine with that.

* * *

…

…

Come the next day, Rin was surprised to find Obito talking to her about Shiki. It had nothing to do with apologizing to Shiki, but rather, the situation involving Shiki's lack of exploration in the village she lived in—Konohagakure. For someone who would rather not associate with the Aburame out of his dislike for insects, Obito had a lot of information on their clan. It was rather ironic, but Rin never said anything about it.

Instead, she just listened, with a smile on her face, as Obito talked about including Kakashi in their discussion. Really, Obito had come a long ways…and Rin was absolutely happy.

And when Kakashi showed up, Rin wasn't that surprised that Obito had tasked her with telling the silver-haired boy about his idea. Really, the two needed to stop acting as if they hated each other.

It's been nearly two months and Rin was pretty sure the two had moved from bickering strangers to vitriolic acquaintances, at the very least. They still needed a little more time to become friends…but for now, she had something to tell Kakashi.

…

…

* * *

Kakashi stared blankly at Rin as she informed him of an idea Obito had. While Kakashi was skeptical of anything regarding Obito that wasn't an apology towards Shiki, he was rather intrigued with what Obito had in mind. It's not as if Kakashi had anything better to do with Shiki that _didn't_ involve him helping her improve her aim with kunai (still no signs of Shibi moving Shiki onto shuriken) or her dragging him into a game he wouldn't otherwise play on his own.

It would be nice change in routine, and Kakashi was rather fine when it was just the four of them in general, if lunchtime has proved anything. So maybe he could go a day with the four of them hanging out together in Konoha.

Now the question was whether or not Shinjiro would approve, because the Jounin was rather protective of his own daughter.

…

Well, that was for Obito to find out, because Kakashi wasn't going to ask—hell no. Shinjiro managed to _intimidate_ Sakumo—what made anyone think Kakashi was going to mess with _that_? Kakashi was honestly glad that Rin pointed out that, being Obito's idea, it was up to him to ask Shinjiro. It would also be better if he did, because Obito had the best possible opportunity to do so without Shiki finding out.

It _was_ supposed to be a surprise, after all…and it seems that Shiki had finally arrived, which meant the conversation had come to a close.

* * *

…

…

Kushina was talkative, as usual, making faces whenever she shared a bitter memory of some sort with Shiki, which had become a habit of the Uzumaki to do. The fact that Kushina was actually sharing personal information with Shiki showed how much closer the two have grown. Kushina certainly had enough trust in Shiki to lower her guard.

Otherwise, Shiki wouldn't have learned that Kushina had participated in the Chuunin Exams more than twice already and failed, because of her impulsivity. She also wouldn't have learned about this year's upcoming Chuunin Exams, which Kushina was _determined_ to pass.

"If that wimp could do it, then so can I-ttebane," Kushina huffed, her lips formed into a cute pout.

"Wimp?" This was the first time Shiki had heard Kushina mention anyone else other than her sister.

"You probably wouldn't know who he is, so I _guess_ I'll tell you about him." Kushina tried to appear reluctant, but Shiki noticed that she seemed rather eager—almost as if Kushina had been waiting for an opportunity to vent. "So you know how I'm still a Genin—right?"

Shiki nodded her head. "Right."

"Well, back before I was a Genin, I was a student at the Academy, just like you." Kushina grinned as she lightly poked Shiki on the cheek. "Of course I wasn't as cute as you are, but that doesn't matter."

Despite what Kushina had said, it certainly seemed to have mattered to her. Shiki wondered if it had to do with how Kushina's face used to be a lot rounder when she was younger. It _had_ been what earned her the nickname of, "Tomato."

" _I wonder if Kushinada's face was just as pudgy…"_ It was quite the cute mental image.

" _Anyways_ , there was this one kid in my class who was just so _frustrating_ -ttebane!" Kushina had her hands tightened into fists. "He was short, scrawny, and girly—and he still is."

"Is there anything wrong with being girly?" Shiki found herself asking.

"Not really, but when more than a quarter of the class is made up of boys from civilian families, it _feels_ like it and I _hate_ that I've picked up on it because I _meant_ to say unreliable, dattebane." Kushina let out an aggravated sigh. "Word of advice, civilians and their children are going to say a lot of shit, so get used to ignoring them when they start underestimating your abilities-ttebane."

"I will keep that in mind." Shiki wasn't one to pass up advice from Kushina, as crude as it could possibly get at times.

"So as I was saying before, there was this kid in my class who was basically a wimp," Kushina continued. "And it's not that he wasn't strong or anything, but it was more that he _refused_ to graduate early because he wanted to wait."

"Is that so?" Shiki could feel a smile tugging at her lips.

"I just don't get _why_ he did it-ttebane." Kushina crossed her arms. "Like, if I had the chance to graduate early, I would have. So to see this little brat just staying where he was at, in a class that he probably shouldn't have been in—it pissed me off, dattebane!"

"What do you mean by that?" Even though Kushina hadn't dropped a name, Shiki had a vague idea of who this "wimp" was. Despite that, her foreknowledge had its limits and what Kushina had just said managed to confuse Shiki.

"W-Well…" A light blush dusted Kushina's cheeks as she averted her gaze. "I'm…not as smart as my sister. Aaaaaand I may have fallen behind on certain subjects, s-s-so I was placed in a class suitable for someone of my level when I entered the Academy—b-b-b-but there's nothing wrong with that, dattebane!"

"You are quite right!" Shiki offered Kushina a reassuring smile, having noticed how nervous the Genin had gotten. "Everyone goes at their own pace, after all."

"R-Riiight-ttebane!" Kushina forced a smile as she held up a fist. "Anyone who says otherwise can just screw off!"

Shiki just nodded her head. "Indeed…"

"Anyways!" Kushina cleared her throat. "That wimp shouldn't have been in that class, but he was and he refused to go anywhere else because he wanted to graduate with the class-ttebane. Of course, I call bullshit—he was probably too scared to leave. How he managed to become a Chuunin is something I might never know, but it just proves my point that if he can do it, then so can I, dattebane!"

"I see…" Shiki was definitely smiling now. She couldn't help it. She was just so amused because a certain blue-eyed blond was on her mind. If the person Kushina had been venting about was in fact whom Shiki thought it was, then there was something rather endearing about the situation in hindsight. Because the idea that Namikaze Minato refused to change classes and graduate early due to Kushina's presence was adorable.

Of course, that was assuming that Kushina was the reason for that and the "wimp" Kushina talked about was in fact Namikaze Minato. Regardless, it was still an entertaining thought for Shiki.

"You guys are seriously pissing me off, dattebane!" And there went Kushina again—all because everyone was staring at them for what felt like the umpteenth time.

Really, Shiki felt that her classmates needed a better hobby then to just stare and whisper. And while she felt uneasy with so many stares that were focused on her, it had happened much too often for her to actually grow _accustomed_ to it. She had no idea if that was a good thing or not, but at the very least, she could now _pretend_ that she wasn't bothered (even though she actually was).

If there was one thing Shiki was looking forward to, it was the fact that after this week's exam, she would be going back to Momo-sensei's kunoichi classes. Rin would be there…but Kushina wouldn't…

" _That's right…"_ Shiki had almost forgotten that Kushina's month was almost up. Come next week, Kushina would go back to her team to prepare for the Chuunin Exams. The two would no longer be able to hang out, as they had this month…

…

"Kushina-san?" Shiki spoke to Kushina the instant the redhead had cooled down.

"Hmm?" Kushina tilted her head to the side. "What is it-ttebane?"

"We are friends…right?" Shiki knew the answer already, but she still wanted to hear it from Kushina.

"Of course we are!" Kushina grinned widely. "Sure, you might be a little younger than me—but that doesn't matter-ttebane! So what brought that up?"

"If you ever need someone to talk to—you can come to the Aburame compound and ask for me." Shiki was certain that her clan wouldn't mind any surprise visitors. "Okay?"

Kushina blinked a few times and nodded her head. "Gotcha! Soooo…you know singing lessons start next week for beginners like you, right-ttebane?"

"What?!" Shiki didn't know that—was that why Kunie was so adamant on getting her to sing when they went out for karaoke?!

"It's fine!" Kushina reassured. "I'm sure you'll do great! You did just fine with today's exam-ttebane."

That wasn't the point, but Shiki decided not to say anything. It was one thing singing on her own—it was another thing singing in front of others. Shiki had almost cried when Chitose managed to get her to sing a few lines the other day.

_Well, at least Rin will be there…_

…

…

* * *

Obito found himself growing more and more nervous with each passing day. By now, he was quite sure that Rin knew something was wrong with him. He asked her for help far too often for her to not notice. Yet…she never said anything. She just gave him the help he needed and went on her way, as she followed along with Nene-sensei's review for the upcoming exam.

Obito started going home on his own, telling Sakumo and Kakashi that he wasn't that exhausted anymore. He was still sore, but Obito could walk now…and he had no idea how he was going to talk to Shinjiro, because Shinjiro no longer needed to carry him home.

_I feel empty…_

Obito took to distracting himself by looking over the notes he had borrowed from Rin. He was trying his best to study, but…the words—he just couldn't understand them. He could make out a few words sometimes, but not as often as he wished he did.

He began to lie. He told Rin that everything was fine, even though he spent many hours in the evening reading words he couldn't even understand. Was he even reading?

_Can you even call it reading?_

The night before the exam, Obito ended up throwing Rin's notebook across the room after he caught himself staring more at the writing than reading the words. It…annoyed him. It _really_ annoyed him that his writing wasn't as neat as Rin's…or that he could even understand what is was he wrote, as she did so confidently.

He could write…but he was mostly copying what he saw. Sometimes, he messed up—just when he thought he had gotten it right. At the very least, he was able to write his name. But even that accomplishment was starting to lose its meaning as Obito continued to fall behind in class.

…

Obito had excused himself from class, shortly after Nene-sensei collected everyone's exams, to go to the restroom. He returned half an hour later, his eyes somewhat red and swollen from crying. When Nene-sensei made a comment about his absence, Obito smiled widely and tried to play it off as if nothing wrong had happened.

Kakashi ignored him, as he usually did. Rin hesitated to speak to him—as if she had no idea how to approach him. Obito almost stopped smiling when he saw Shiki. She just looked so _sad_ …

_Why is she sad?_

"I'm fine!" Obito lied when Shiki asked him, during lunchtime, if something was wrong. "I just needed some time to myself—that's all."

"The exam probably fried his brain." Kakashi was as tactless as ever.

Obito laughed when Shiki tapped Kakashi on the back of his head. It was worth the light scolding from Rin.

…

Obito wasn't expecting Shinjiro to follow him home. He was expecting the Aburame to go with Shiki, Kakashi, and Sakumo—especially since he told Shiki's father that he no longer needed help getting home.

And yet, Shinjiro continued to follow Obito. He walked a few steps behind the young Uchiha. He said nothing and in turn, Obito did the same.

Eventually, the two reached the Uchiha District and from there, the apartment where Obito lived. It was only until Obito was in front of the door to his apartment that he finally turned around to confront Shinjiro, who _was still following him_.

"Why are you still here?" Obito wanted answers—because there was no way Shinjiro just followed him without a reason.

"To give you this," Shinjiro said before handing Obito a sealing scroll.

"Oh…right—don't want the food you made to go to waste." Obito had almost forgotten about Shinjiro's sealing scrolls…

"I also wanted to ensure you got home safely," Shinjiro added. "Is there anything else you would like to know?"

"Well…" Obito realized that now was a good time as any to talk to Shinjiro, seeing as it was just the two of them. "Would it be okay if we could show Shiki around Konoha next week?"

"We?" Shinjiro questioned.

"Rin, Kakashi, and me!" Obito was quick to explain. "If that's all right with you, of course…"

Shinjiro paused for a moment and then nodded his head. "I would not be against it, but may I just ask…is there any reason for the occasion?"

"I just feel that maybe it would be nice to show Shiki around Konoha, since she doesn't go out much…" Obito replied. "I mean—she doesn't really talk much about what she does outside of the Academy, unless it's about the Aburame compound or when she's with Kakashi."

Thinking of it now, Shiki was rather sheltered. Having only known those in her own clan, with little contact outside of the compound—it was probably the reason why she was so shy.

_Maybe…that's why…_

Despite how far the two have come since the day they had first met, Obito and Shiki were still awkward around each other. Obito, because he had yet to apologize, and Shiki, because…because…

" _Because of me…"_ It was because of Obito that Shiki was so conscientious around him. So that he didn't have to come in contact with the kikaichū that covered her body. So that he wasn't upset. _"So that we can get along…"_

Obito wanted to laugh—he _really_ wanted to laugh. Because it was just so funny that a girl like Shiki wanted to be friends with someone like him, after the way he treated her—especially since he was supposed to be the one who wanted to be friends with her. That's the way it should be.

" _She…really is too nice…"_ Obito laughed. He laughed…and kept laughing, even when tears began running down his face. It was just so funny to him, because…because…

_I don't deserve this._

* * *

…

…

Shinjiro stayed by Obito's side until he stopped crying. As a result, he arrived at the Hatake residence later than usual. Only Sakumo noticed, because Kakashi and Shiki were still at the dojo, training as usual. Kakashi was just so determined to help Shiki improve…

"What happened?" Sakumo asked.

"Obito-kun just needed someone by his side." That was all Shinjiro was going to say, because he felt that Obito wouldn't want just anyone learning about what had happened. "It must be stress."

"I'm not surprised—he _is_ an Uchiha." Sakumo sighed. "Rather sad, don't you think?"

Shinjiro nodded his head. "Indeed."

"He says his parents are dead…what would you say?" Sakumo looked questioningly at Shinjiro.

"I do not think he ever had any in the first place." Shinjiro felt that there was more to what Obito had said about himself. "Parents should want the very best for their children, even after they are no longer able to do so. Otherwise, they are not parents to begin with—just adults caring for a child that is just there."

"Ha, that's reassuring to hear…" Sakumo smiled. "Because that means we're both parents."

Shinjiro chuckled. "Right you are…"

…

…

* * *

The next day, Obito was not at all surprised that he spent his free time helping out others. At this point, he was used to it. If anything, he was rather pleased that he was building up a reputation as the kind boy with the goggles. Obito had always felt insecure about his goggles, hence his particular distaste for them, but now…he was happy he had them.

He saw Shiki again, while she was with her relatives. As envious as he was of her for what she had, Obito liked seeing her when she was like this. He hoped she was like this when he, Kakashi, and Rin showed her around Konoha.

_That would be nice…_

Obito couldn't wait for the week to end. He had so many places he wanted to show Shiki… And, if all went well, then maybe…

" _I can apologize."_ And if Obito could apologize, then maybe…the two could finally become friends.

_Thump!_

Obito jolted when he felt his heart skip a beat. His cheeks felt warmer than usual and for some reason, he was oddly… _happy_. A smile crossed his face as he adjusted his goggles.

_I can do this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys—have a long chapter from me because gosh dang, is the university life killing me! Freaking hell, technical writing is just doing a number on me… Meanwhile with life drawing, I'm doing surprisingly well (my art is improving huzzah!) and anthropology…yeah, let's just say I know how Obito feels, because that midterm…ugh. I was doing so well, and then THAT FUCKING MIDTERM.
> 
> But whatever, that just means I have to make sure I keep doing well from here on out and I can do that. So long as I get a C, I'm good…oh, and I have been dragged back into the depths of hell that is the Kingdom Hearts fandom AND I AM SUFFERING BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE A PS4 AND I NEED ONE FOR 2.8 AND III.
> 
> Expect a Kingdom Hearts OC-insert fic from me, because I have one planned and I am well too versed in the lore that is Kingdom Hearts (I am not joking, I literally have too much fucking information on this series to the point that it's almost ridiculous) to pass it up. And long before I started writing fem!character fics and SI OC fics, I wrote KH fics and just...yeah...I've come a long way and I'm excited to go back to my roots (especially since I have a LOT planned and just...yeah). So expect that fic to come out when Kingdom Hearts III comes out and I have a PS4 to play it on...so that'll be a while.
> 
> ANYWAYS, I don't know about you guys, but I feel that the reason Kushina's hair gets all wild is because her chakra is flowing through it and you cannot convince me otherwise. Like, her hair is an outlet when she gets so worked up. It's like a teapot letting out steam when the water starts boiling…
> 
> Moving on, I'm liking how Rin is developing as a character, especially considering how I made her part of a clan of medic-nin for absolutely no reason because I just could. Like, if I hadn't done that in Butterfly Child when Team Blast From The Past (AKA, Team Spiky Hair) became a thing…I have no idea what would have happened to Rin. Just like Sakura in Butterfly Child, medical ninjutsu is a crucial part of Rin's life. And FYI, it's the reason why she's in Shimura Nene's class.
> 
> Shiki's going back to attending kunoichi classes with her year. Kakashi has become afraid of Shinjiro, as has Sakumo. Shinjiro is…well, Shinjiro. And Obito…well, holy shit, he's also come a long way. Like, really…he still doesn't like insects, but he's not letting that get in the way anymore.
> 
> Oh, and I'm not sure if you guys caught on, but the Suzume you saw in this chapter is in fact the same Suzume who taught Ino and Sakura's kunoichi class in canon. Basically, Sakumo found her during a mission and took her home with him before giving her to the Mochizuki clan.
> 
> And speaking of children being found on missions, let's talk about Shiki's Great-Uncle Naomi. He is adopted and because of that, he's not a kikaichū host (you have to be born into the clan to become a host)…but he still wears sunglasses as means of feeling connected to his clan. It's something he shares with the other members of the Aburame clan who are like him (not Aburame by blood).
> 
> More on the Aburame, children tend to be rather sensitive to certain types of chakra. Like, it has to be rather special. And with what happened with Kushina…the effect it had on Shiki was like that of a sedative. Which isn't that bad, but considering that Kushina has Kurama inside of her and if his chakra managed to leak out…the reaction Shiki had could have been completely different. It could have potentially been harmful, which is why Kushina was so anxious.
> 
> So shipping games are just as lively as ever and all over the place (holy shit, these ships have such long names ahahaha), Kishito is in the lead…and that's all I know because names are all over the place—I need to find a way to organize this shit. Anyways, as a reminder, the set pairing for this ship involves polyamory, so poly ships are a thing! Apart from Kishito (Kakashi/Shiki/Obito), poly ships, as listed, are Kagaishi/Kagashi/Gashika (Kakashi/Gai/Shiki), Karishi (Kakashi/Rin/Shiki), and Kashirito (Kakashi/Shiki/Rin/Obito—the awesome foursome). Kakashi/Shiki/Gai/Obito has been introduced and anonymous reviewer InsertLovebugPun has introduced Team Free Love, which they describe as the vaguely defined open polyromantic (and maybe a little platonic too depending on people involved) relationship with Shiki as the nucleus that slowly integrates people at its edges like an amoeba. I'm really liking the description for Team Free Love, it's just so amusing and I REALLY love it, ahaha…
> 
> That's about all I have for now, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! So until next time everyone!


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